Re: Neo
by Brandocko
Summary: Neo is given a chance. A chance to save Roman from death. However, she must relive the same day over and over again. After witnessing her One Thing's demise multiple times at the hands of their foes, can she endure until she discovers the correct route? I do not own RWBY or Re: Zero.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: Hey everyone, I have a new miniseries to kick off. This one involves my all-time favorite anime, Re: Zero. I love this series for so many reasons and am beyond hyped for season two coming out. To celebrate it and the release of the Director's Cut of season one, I wanted to do a crossover with RWBY. Now, I do not like RWBY that much as a series. However, I will still stand by Neo as one of my favorite fictional characters or all time. Despite her small role and screen time in the series, she hits every mark for me as a character. If any character deserves a RWBY Spinoff, it's her. So, why not combine my favorite character with my favorite anime? This story is exploring how different V3 would have gone if Neo had a similar ability like Subaru's Return by Death. I don't want to spoil anything else. Hope you enjoy this chapter, leave a review with your comments and questions, and have a nice day.**

**Re: Neo **

This was the moment. She pressed the button on her umbrella, Hush. From the top, a hidden blade ejected. As she walked to the end of the airship, the tip of the blade grinding on the floor. The dangling red hooded girl gasped at the sight of the blade at her opponent. In the distance, a monologue was heard. The mute girl smiled as the orange-haired criminal walked over. Roman Torchwick, the one thing she cared about in this cruel world. She let him speak down to their opponent, as she could do no such thing herself. The words were only a blur to her, but she loved the way he talked. The mute girl looked back to their foe, Ruby Rose. The thorn in Roman's side for so long. Now, she was about to be removed. However, fate was not on the mute's side this time. Ruby leapt and pushed the other button on Hush, causing the umbrella to open. The mute girl gasped as the updraft carried her off into the Grimm infested skies. Before she was out of range of hearing, she heard her name.

"Neo!" Roman called out in panic.

Neo tried to rebalance herself with her umbrella, but something caught her eye. She looked over to see Roman reengaging Ruby in a solo battle. To her amazement, the orange-haired criminal was winning. Neo smiled, knowing that he could still do this. That positive thought rang in her mind, but it only lasted a second. Her eyes turned white as a missive Grimm was targeting the airship for a landing. Roman's back was to the creature, nobody could warn him. She shook her head in fear as the creature landed, its mouth already open, and its prey unaware of the fate. She could not look away from the sight that was scared into her mind. The sight of one thing she cared about being eaten alive. At that moment, Roman had died. As well, Neo knew she had nothing left. She closed her eyes to scream, but no voice came out.

…

Suddenly, Neo opened her eyes. She discovered herself in her medic outfit, asleep at the wheel of the parked ambulance airship. The mute girl had a look of confusion. She turned to the window the outside, seeing daylight. In taking out her scroll, she noticed a timer she had set beforehand. Three hours ticked until she was supposed to be ready as the getaway driver. Neo put away her scroll and sighed, thinking it was all a bad dream. However, she felt that it was a warning. A premonition of an outcome she could not let come to pass. Neo let out a deep breath before knowing what she must do.

_The moment again. _

Ruby had just been kicked; her body flung over the edge as barely had enough time to grab onto something. Neo ejected her hidden blade from Hush. Roman cackled as he was about to start his monologue. However, he paused at the sight of the mute girl running. Ruby looked down at the Kingdom of Vale below, not wanting to think about what would happen if she let go. However, she could feel the murderous intent from above. As she looked up, Neo had already thrust the blade towards Ruby's neck. The red hooded girl's eyes widened in shock, her mouth filling with blood. As the light left the silver eyes, her grip loosened. She let go, causing the blade of Hush to slip out. Neo watched and smiled as Ruby's corpse fell to the Kingdom below.

"Uh Neo?" Roman spoke, "What was that?"

Neo turned to him with a smirk, recalling the blade back into Hush.

"I wanted to take my time with that brat, and you had to ruin the fun." He said with slight indignation in his voice. However, Neo smiled as she walked towards him, changing the colors of her eyes. The mute girl hugged him, causing the orange-haired criminal to have a look of confusion. As she hugged him tighter, Roman started to smile, "Aw, I can't stay mad at you." He said as he patted the top of Neo's head.

Around an hour later, Roman and Neo reentered the landing deck of the airship, looking over the destroyed Kingdom of Vale. The buildings were set ablaze as Atlas robots and Grimm where the only occupants of Vale. They looked up to see a smaller airship landed near them. Emerging from the open hatch, the mint-haired thief and grey-haired assassin. Emerald and Mercury walked over to the criminal duo, but all four turned to what sounded like a jet engine taking off. Blasting through the sky onto the deck was the woman in the red dress, whose eyes glowed with the aura of the full Fall Maiden power, "Well," Cinder spoke with a smile, "I would call this mission a success."

"I'll say," Mercury added on as he took out his scroll, "I got some nice battles on video. Including one of that Schnee getting flattened like a pancake by a Paladin."

"We did it," Emerald added on, her voice still in disbelief, "We took down an entire Kingdom."

"This was just the start," Cinder responded, "We still have three more Kingdoms to lay waste upon." She said before creating a flame in her hand, "And with my new power, I can turn anything into ashes."

"Well, good for you." Roman responded, "But, you remember our deal. After Vale, our contract is over." He said with Cinder extinguishing the flame with the clenching of her fist.

"I would like to propose an extension." Cinder offered as crossed her arms, "You redeemed your past failures today." She said before looking to Neo, "You and your little bodyguard."

"Listen, we know that this job only gets more dangerous for us as time goes on." Roman said before gesturing to Neo, "The two of us are just trying to survive this war, not keep fighting until we die." He countered before smirking to Cinder, "Besides, you don't need us anymore in your Boss' big mission."

Suddenly, Cinder's smile grew more sinister, "You're right." She said with Neo having a look of panic. Her eyes turned white as the Fall Maiden created two short swords of burning dust, "I don't need you anymore."

Roman realized what she meant, "Oh no," He said before reposing his cane, "You backstabbing bitch!" The orange-haired criminal said before opening fire with his cane. Cinder crossed her blades in a blocking stance, the blast exploding on contact with a plume of smoke.

However, the Fall Maiden rushed out with no damage done. Roman gasped as Cinder raised her swords. She slashed towards his head, but something blocked the strike. Neo held her umbrella in defense of Roman, but the dust swords were burning into the fabric. Cinder gritted her teeth until she saw Roman fire the cane at close range, hitting her the face with the blast. She fell backwards as she dropped the dust swords. Roman and Neo reposed as Cinder picked herself up, only suffering a small burn on her cheek. The Fall Maiden smiled as Emerald and Mercury went to her side, "Kill the mute." Cinder ordered, "Roman is mine."

"Understood," Emerald said as she took out her bladed revolvers.

"With pleasure," Mercury said as he rolled his shoulders, assuming a fighting stance.

Neo gritted her teeth before sending a glass clone towards Mercury. The grey-haired assassin released a blast of wind from his ankle gauntlets, destroying the glass clone. Emerald rushed through the shards as she opened fire. Neo and Roman jumped out of the way of the bullets, but Cinder isolated the orange-haired criminal, her new short swords clashing with his cane, "You should have known this would happen eventually." Cinder commented as Roman gritted his teeth, struggling to hold her power back, "You cannot escape destiny."

Neo's eyes turned white at Roman's danger. She attempted to run to his aid, but Mercury jumped in her path. With a sinister smile, he attempted a right axel kick over her head. The mute girl backflipped to dodge, but the grey-haired assassin pivoted for a left spin kick, releasing a blast of wind in the process. Neo barely had time to block with her umbrella, her body still being pushed back by the force of the attack. Suddenly, she heard an odd noise followed by a voice.

"Neo?" She heard Roman's voice call from her right. In turning to the noise, she saw him standing with a look of confusion, "What are you doing?" Neo had her look of confusion, seeing Roman still clashing with Cinder.

In that moment of realization, the mute girl felt an ominous pressure behind her. She barely had time to block with Hush as Emerald attempted a back attack with her bladed revolvers. Emerald gritted her teeth before Neo pressed the button on Hush, extending the hidden blade. The ejection almost pierced the mint-haired thief's right eye. As Emerald jumped back, Mercury rushed in, landing a spin kick into Neo's abdomen. The mute girl gasped in pain, the only noise she could make at that moment. Out of the corner of his eye, Roman saw her body bounce before rolling off the edge of the ship.

"Neo!" Roman called out in panic.

At the last second, Neo grabbed the edge with her left hand. However, her grip was slipping fast. Suddenly, she looked up to see Roman looking down on her with a smile. He reached out to help her, causing Neo to smile as she reached back. However, she saw a malevolent smile form on his face. While the mute had seen this evil on him before, she knew Roman would never direct it towards her. As he took her hand, Neo knew it was not the grip of Roman, but a delusion. At the clicking of a trigger being pulled, Neo jumped back. The hallucination faded as Emerald gritted her teeth, "That time didn't work either." She said as Mercury saw Neo free fall.

"Don't worry," Mercury responded, "She can't survive from this height." He then turned back to Roman and Cinder, "Let's back up the Boss." He said with Emerald nodding.

Little did they know, Neo had opened her umbrella. However, her eyes turned white again. She had been in this situation before. She knew what was about to happen. In a massive updraft, Neo was carried off by the wind above the airship. There, she saw a sight far worse than before. While Roman was preoccupied blocking Cinder's slashes, Emerald landed a shot in his right knee. As he screamed in agony, Mercury ran in with a jump kick to the orange-haired criminal's face. Roman dropped the cane as his body slide near the edge of the airship. As the two rejoined Cinder, the Fall Maiden smiled as she turned her two swords into a bow. Roman managed to stand on one knee as he glared at the trio.

"Sorry Roman," Cinder said as she created the bowstring and arrow out of fiery dust, "You're not surviving this one." The Fall Maiden said before unleashing her shot. The arrow pierced the center of Roman's chest. The light left his eyes as his body fell backwards over the airship. Neo's eyes turned whiter as she feared the worse had happened again. However, the lingering thought of his survival remained in her mind. She closed her umbrella before diving down towards Roman's body. Soon, she managed to get within a few feet of reaching for the orange-haired criminal. However, as she extended her hand to catch him, Roman's body broke apart, turning into ashes. Neo watched as her one thing vanished in the wind; Roman had died. Neo knew she had nothing left. She closed her eyes to scream, but no voice came out.

…

Suddenly, Neo opened her eyes. She discovered herself in her medic outfit, asleep at the wheel of the parked ambulance air-… it was just like before. Neo was back to the same place she woke up after she saw Roman die. The mute girl looked at her hands, unaware of what all this meant. What was this Restarting power she had? Who gave her this gift, or was it a curse placed upon her? Was this her semblance working to protect from reality? That fate had already been written? These questions and more started to fill Neo's mind, but she quickly shut them out. She clenched her fist as she knew only one thing was true.

She would save Roman Torchwick, no matter how many ties it would take.

**Chapter 1 – Saving One Thing from this Cruel World **

**AN: There you go, Neo's Return by Death is not activated by death, but Roman's. She comes back to a point in the middle of the Tournament. You see the cannon outcome, as well as what would have happened if Neo straight up killed Ruby on the airship. If that happened, nothing would have stopped the Atlas robots from killing everyone. As well, Cinder got the full Fall Maiden power without Ruby leaving her mangled mess. Roman dies at Cinder's hands as she realizes she doesn't need someone like him anymore. Now, Neo must think of what she could do to mess with Cinder's plans to save Roman. That is all for now, thanks for reading, and hope to see you in the next chapter. **

**Also, this series will be relativity short. While this series is a crossover with the idea from Re: Zero, I will not be including any characters from that series here. However, if I do another one-shot with these two series that involves Re: Zero characters, I would add it here as opposed to making another story, (I did the same thing with Bad End and Demo for my Resident Evil 2 crossovers). **


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Hey everyone, I have the next chapter here. Thank you for all the support this series has gotten on the first chapter. I'm glad people liked this idea for a story revolving around Neo saving Roman. This chapter shows the her coming up with the plan for the third run of her battle against Roman's fate. It is the first half of the attempt, so be prepared for a cliffhanger. These chapters will be around this length, but it is so I can post them weekly on the Wednesday when the Re: Zero Director's Cut drops as well, (Which I am watching and you should too, it is a great way to prepare for season two). **

**Also, I had a review that mentioned aura before, and I wanted to make this clear. If it is something that should kill a person, it will here. I don't forget aura, but I don't treat it like plot armor. It is artificial tension and something I don't like to have to always write around. I will be considerate of it in this series, but it will not save as people like it is meant to in the show. And remember, if someone does die before a reset, they are then brought back to life in the next run. Hope you enjoy this chapter, leave a review with your comments and questions, and have a nice day.**

…

Neo exited the ambulance airship. As she did so, her outfit changed back into her normal attire. She needed to come up with a plan. A plan to save Roman. Neo examined her surroundings but saw nothing of use in sight. However, she did discover a massive white wall to her right. To an artist, this was a fresh canvas. To her, this was where her Overactive Imagination could flourish. She walked over and placed her right hand on the wall. In closing her eyes, a pink aura to radiate from her hand and transferred to the whole wall. As Neo reopened her eyes, the colors of the irises had swapped. She took out Hush from behind her back, using it as her brush for her soon to be tapestry.

Her first tap created a simple drawing of the massive airship. On top of the airship was a small caricature of Roman, complete with his bowler hat. Neo looked at the image and thought of the simplest solution first. Running away. She tapped the wall again creating an adorable image of herself next to Roman's. The two then smiled as a smaller airship ejected with them on it. As it flew across the wall, a pink flash enveloped the ship before it changed the design completely. They would be safe and free from conflict.

However, Neo new a hole in this strategy. She tapped the wall, showing an intimidating image of Cinder. As the Fall Maiden looked to the airship, she unleashed a fireball, exploding the aircraft. The mute girl knew they would be constantly running if Cinder learned about them abandoning the mission. Roman as always told her that running is no way to live. And if Cinder found then, it was over. Neo took her umbrella, making an 'X' over Cinder's image. The mute girl knew this now meant taking down Cinder, a not so simple task.

The question now, how could Neo defeat Cinder? A woman Neo knew would be too hard to fight alone, not without much more prep time and training than she had. The thought of using this opportunity to fight Cinder again on the ship, an opportunity to learn, but at the risk of Roman's safety. No, Neo shook her head. She must play this knowing this Returning power may not activate again. If she screamed and nothing changed back, it would make all her efforts feel even more tragic.

Neo then thought of Cinder's power, that maybe she could steal it before even going to the airship. She tapped the wall, causing the image to have glowing eyes of different colors. However, while she heard of the Fall Maiden power in passing, she had no idea what it would do for her. With her short time, she had no way of locating the injured maiden's location. Even if she killed Amber before Cinder, what is to say the rest of the power would not just go to Cinder instead. The thought then came to Neo's head. If she was the Fall Maiden, that would make her a target for people possibly more dangerous than Cinder. Not only would she have to run but abandon Roman as well. She tapped the wall again, removed her glowing eyes.

A few minutes passed as Neo paced back and forth, her right hand on her chin. She needed to think of who was stronger than Cinder. Maybe one of the School's professors or visiting Huntsman? Maybe even that General? However, convincing any of them during the chaos would mean leaving Roman alone with Ruby on the airship. Neo already knew how that outcome would end, and she had to prevent it. Even if she told the adults of Cinder's plan right now, it would make breaking Roman out more difficult in the long run. She tapped the wall, showing her and Roman evading the entire mass of the military and elite hunters. They could not escape that situation, so she reset the wall.

Neo sighed again, racking her brain with what else she could think of. Abruptly, she remembered something. She tapped the wall, causing an image of Ruby with a dunce hat on her head to appear. This girl was partly the reason Roman died the first time around, she could have warned him about that Grimm, but she just watched. However, she looked down in sorrow. For when that moment came, all the mute girl could do was watch. Neo shook her head again before looking to Ruby. She looked at the image with half-closed eyes, knowing this girl was no match for Cinder. The mute girl moved the image to the side, know she could kill her on the airship if she needed to.

Suddenly, another person in red and black came to her mind. The woman who scared her off from the train. Neo tapped the wall, causing the image of the woman with a Grimm mask and long sword to appear. She could kill Cinder no problem. To the mute girl, she certainly was scarier than Cinder. However, how to get those two to meet? Neo then remembered someone else, the blond brawler she made a fool of on the train. She tapped the wall again, causing Yang to appear next to the masked woman, now noticing an odd similarly in the hairstyles. While Neo did not know the connection between these two, she knew if the blond was endangered, the masked one would show up.

Neo knew her plan now, to get Yang and Cinder to fight. Then when the blond brawler was about to die, the masked woman would show up and kill Cinder. She smiled for a second, but realized something, why did this masked woman not appear during the fall to save Yang. She would have shown up in the second sequence of events if the whole kingdom was destroyed.

Maybe, she was trying to distance herself from Yang, possible because of the bad press the girl gained from the tournament. What this meant was that the blond brawler could not repeat the same mistake again. She would have to win without any drama becoming of it. Neo sighed as she knew what she must do. She must help Yang win without attacking Mercury after the match. A small pout appeared on the mute girl's face, as this was an opponent she really did not want to aid. However, if it was to save Roman, she would do whatever it takes. She changed to her tournament disguise and walked out of the room, ready to start her plan. Even though questions still filled her mind, she knew she had to take action before it was too late.

**Re: Neo **

Yang unleashed a barrage of punches to Mercury's face. With the last hit, she took out the rest of his semblance and knocked him to the ground. The crowd cheered at the match's conclusion. "Better luck next time," Yang said as started to walk away, but a small smirk on Mercury's face formed. From the stands, Emerald watched as she was about to create the delusion.

However, she lost her focus as hot coffee was dumped on her head,"AAAAA!" The mint haired thief screamed as she stood up, trying to stop the boiling liquid from reaching her eyes. Luckily, her aura saved her from heavy burns, but her eyes were still fuming with rage, "WHO DID THAT!?" She turned to see all the fans of the tournament behind her, each with a look of confusion. As she gritted her teeth in rage, the thought of forgetting something came to her mind. She turned around to the arena, but Yang had already exited. Mercury still stood in the arena, a dumbfounded look on his face towards his teammate. In the far-off stands, Neo watched the two with smirk then sipped from a coffee mug.

_A few minutes later. _

In an abandoned warehouse, Cinder glared at both her subordinates, "You had one task." She said with her arms crossed, "Make that girl attack him after the match had ended."

"I'm sorry Cinder," Emerald said as she bowed her head.

Mercury sniffed before looking to the mint-haired thief, "Why do you smell like coffee?"

"Why didn't you improvise!?" Emerald retorted with rage, "You ruined the plan."

"Me!?" Mercury shouted back, "I did my part in faking a defeat to that blondie bimbo bitch. You're the one who didn't make her think I attacked her first." He said with Emerald pouting, "Besides, if I improvised, it might have made things worse."

Cinder sighed, "Regardless, what's done is done." She said before looking to Emerald, "You will have to make sure that Pyrrha kills Penny in her match before I make my announcement." The black-haired woman said glared as one of her eyes glowed with the aura of the Fall Maiden, "Do not fail me this time."

"Yes, ma'am," Emerald said with a bow.

"What about me?" Mercury said, "Do I still stay low?"

"Yes, we play this out as if nothing has changed." Cinder said before smiling, "Even without the added chaos to attract Grimm, The White Fang will be airdropping more into the kingdom. As well, I can order Adam to…have a little fun with the locales." She said before walking away, "At most, that General and Headmaster will send out reserve hunters and a few students who did not fight in multiple rounds of the tournament. One of which being that cat faunus girl Adam likes so much." She walked over to a large wooden crate with Neo sitting cross-legged on it, "Your part in all of this is unchanged. Free Roman and let him do what he does best. Make a lot of noise." Cinder said as Neo jumped off the crate, taking a small bow. The black-haired woman took out a scroll and handed it to the mute girl, "You don't need to open this, just have Roman upload the virus to the motherboard."

Neo nodded as she took the scroll. With her semblance, she transformed her attire into an atlas military uniform and exited the warehouse at the meeting's end. As she walked down the halls, the mute girl opened the scroll. While obeying the order not to open the scroll before, she had already lost all respect for Cinder to be her loyal subordinate. Plus, Roman taught her to never skip on valuable information. Neo looked through the scroll, seeing a list of codes and messages. While most caused her tilted her head in confusion, she realized a pattern forming. Thanks to her Overactive Imagination, deciphering codes are just like reworking her own semblance's concept. To her, this was a fun way to waste time. She started to realize who some of the numbers were for and who they would allow her to contact. Neo let out a slight giggle before closing the scroll.

_Approaching the moment again. _

Neo had just been given the task to investigate the noise, but she already knew who it was. She smirked as she made to the outside of the airship. In looking up, she noticed far less Grimm in the sky. None were the size of the monster that eaten Roman before, causing Neo to smile at this unanticipated benefit. She closed her eyes as she already knew the motion to take the picture of Ruby, pressing the button with a flash.

However, as she opened her to send the photo, she noticed something. Rather, someone else that was next to Ruby. It was Yang, with the photo already capturing her in the motion of a punch. Neo gasped at the sound of a burning shotgun blast. With barely enough time, she blocked with her umbrella. With her teeth grit, she looked to see the blond brawler smirking.

"I had a feeling you would be here," Yang commented to the mute girl, "Ready for round two, Roman's little guard dog?"

"Uh, I think her name was Neo or something," Ruby said to her big sister.

"Whatever, I'll beat her up regardless of name." Yang said before hitting her fist together, "You go ahead and shut down what's making all the robots go crazy."

"Yang, fighting her alone on the train did not go so well. And your aura has not fully recovered," Ruby said before looking back to Neo, reposing her Crescent Rose, "We'll fight her together."

Yang smirked as she assumed a fighting stance, "That's why you're the leader."

Neo gritted her teeth. This was not part of the plan; Yang was not supposed to be up here. The blond brawler was supposed to fighting on the ground, allowing that masked woman to show up there. If she shows up on the airship here, Neo could not beat her. Right now, Neo was facing two against one. Her thumb lingered over the send button, knowing that would let Roman come to her aid. However, she could not keep an eye on him like before when they fought just the red hooded girl. For him, she had to do this battle by herself. She closed the scroll before reposing her umbrella, switching the colors of her eyes while feinting a smirking.

**Chapter 2 – The Crackle of Flames**

**AN: There you go, Neo prevented Yang from attacking Mercury in the end of the match. This meant that Team RWBY didn't have that midseason drama and Yang would be around her sister more after the match. Yang and Ruby go up to the airship instead of just Ruby because both girls have a history with who they think is causing the chaos from above. Neo's plan to have Raven show up backfired hard. (Remember, this story is with Neo's perspective only. So, everything she does is based on what she knows from her role in the series. She does know about the Maiden power here, but only vague details because of being a part of Cinder's plan). Now, she must fight the duo of sisters to protect Roman for getting hurt. Next chapter will show the results and if this is the attempt, she succeeds in saving her One Thing. **


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: Hey everyone, I have the next chapter here. This is the conclusion to the third run of Neo's attempt to save Roman. Will this be the one she manages to save him in, or will something else go wrong? Hope you enjoy this chapter, leave a review with your comments and questions, and have a nice day.**

…

Ruby rushed in with a horizontal swing of her Crescent Rose, but Neo backflipped to dodge. The red hooded girl attempted a second swing, but the mute girl still evaded the hit. Yang jumped over her sister as she tried to land a crushing downward punch. The hit collided with Neo's body, but it was only a glass illusion. The duo of sisters quickly scanned the area, already finding Neo a few feet away. The mute girl gritted her teeth, knowing now that she cannot get the jump on these two like she could when fighting them individually. She had to isolate them, take one out and then the other. The question now, which one to target first?

**Re: Neo**

This time, Neo dashed first. However, two Neos were formed, each dashing for one of the opponents. Ruby shot a round from Crescent Rose while Yang fired a blast from her right Ember Celica. The sniper round exploded the glass clone, while the real Neo jumped the fireball. The blond brawl grinned, knowing her opponent was defenseless in the air. With her left gauntlet, Yang shot towards the ship, launching her into the air. Yang reposed as she readied for a right burning uppercut.

However, Neo created another glass clone. She used it as a projectile to collide with Yang. The blond brawl was slightly stunned from the hit, causing her form to falter. With the handle of Hush, Neo hooked Yang's right arm. In a spinning motion, the mute girl flung Yang across the airship.

"Yang!" Ruby called out as she saw her sister get close to falling over the edge. Neo's eyes turned white at the plead. While the word was different, the tone was the same. It was the voice you hear when someone feels they are about to lose a person they care deeply about. Neo gritted her teeth before landing on the airship.

Ruby used her speed semblance before jumping into the air, catching Yang before she could fall over the edge. With a backward shot from Crescent Rose, the two sisters rocketed back onto the airship, "Nice save." Yang said to her sister with a smile. However, her eyes turned to red as she looked back to Neo, "I'm getting sick and tired of you thinking you can just throw me around."

"You can't beat us!" Ruby called out to Neo, "We will win. We will stop you. Don't you see, good will always prevail!"

Neo glared back at Ruby, then took out her scroll. The two sisters looking in confusion as the mute girl typed a message. She then threw her scroll like a playing card, eventually landing at Ruby's feet. Ruby glanced down at the message while Yang kept her eyes on the opponent.

_What's so good about you?_

Ruby then looked back at Neo with a scowl, "I'll save this world from all forms of Grimm I come across." The red hooded girl reposed her weapon as she aimed at the mute girl, "As well as any evildoer who threatens the peace. I'm going to save everyone," Ruby declared as she focused her gaze, "Just like the heroes in fairytales."

Yang smiled, "Well said, Sis," She commented before tightening her fists for combat, "I'm right there with you. Now let's beat this girl," the blond brawler said before reposing her stance, "So we can get one step closer to that happy ending." Ruby nodded as she readied her Crescent Rose.

Neo scowled back, the response infuriating her to a new level. Why should they have a happy ending, while she must suffer like this? Why do they see themselves as the heroes, when she is the one stuck in this tragedy? Why do they want everything to go right for themselves, while has only One Thing she wants to do right by? …Does it make Neo evil to want to go so far for Roman?... Is it bad to only want to survive in this cruel world?

As the questions became more painful, Neo started to shut them out. She reposed with her umbrella, then dashed forward. Yang responded in kind as Ruby changed her weapon into its sniper form. The red hooded girl moved away from the edge as she aimed, then fired two shots towards Neo. The first shot Neo ducked, but the second one was aimed in anticipation of that. She stopped herself to avoid the bullet hitting her in the right side, but then noticed Yang already lined up for a right hook. The blond brawler unleashed her punch, but Neo blocked with her umbrella. However, Yang smirked as she fired a shot from her gauntlet. The blast pushed Neo back a few feet, causing her to stumble. The mute girl's eyes turned white as Ruby rushed in, her Crescent Rose in its scythe form again. With a horizontal slash, Ruby felt she had landed the final blow.

However, it was not Neo she hit, but a glass clone. The red-hooded girl's gasped, unable to find her enemy. Suddenly, a slight giggle was heard. Ruby turned to the noise, discovering Neo standing on the blade of Crescent Rose. The mute girl smirked, swapping her eyes colors, and then delivering a right spin kick to Ruby's face. The red hooded girl was flung across airship, dropping her weapon at Neo's feet.

"Ruby!" Yang called out as her younger sisters' body went over the edge. However, as Neo had seen before, the red hooded girl managed to grab on at the last second. The blond brawler ran over to help her team leader. However, Neo saw this as her moment. She picked up Crescent Rose, aimed, and pulled what looked to be the trigger. A powerful shot fired that even knocked the mute girl off her feet.

The shot did hit a part of her target, the round collided with Yang's right shoulder blade. Her aura broke as the bullet was lodged in her back. Yang stopped herself as she fell to one knee. However, as the blond brawler stood back up, her hair became more radiant. It glowed like the sun as she turned to face Neo. The mute girl gritted her teeth as her opponent's eyes turned red with rage. Neo dropped Crescent Rose before reposing her stance with Hush.

Yang hit her fist together before charging at her opponent with rage. She unleashed a flurry of punches to her opponent. Neo maintained her defense, dodged and blocking each blow she could. However, Yang went for a left-handed grab. Not one for Neo, but for Hush. She grabbed the middle of the closed umbrella as the mute girl's eyes went white.

Neo knew she could not lose her umbrella; she would have no way to survive if flung off the airship. She held onto her weapon as the blond brawler went for straight punches towards Neo's head. The mute girl bobbed her head out of the way of the fist but felt the heat graze against her cheeks. She started to sweat while Yang's rage only grew stronger.

Suddenly, Yang lifted her left arm, raising the umbrella and Neo overhead. The blond brawler then slammed the mute girl's body onto the airship. Neo gasped as she felt her body bounced against the metal. Yang then reversed her movement, lifting Neo over her head again before slamming her into the airship face first this time. The blond brawler looked down, seeing a slight flash of pink light, "What, that all the aura you have?" Yang commented as she looked down on her opponent, "Heh, no wonder you don't want to get hit."

Neo pushed herself up with her right hand, blood leaking from the top of her head. She attempted a right kicked towards Yang left knee, but the blond brawler evaded. Yang then headbutted Neo, causing the mute girl's nose to bleed. While her opponent was staggered, Yang unleashed a barrage of body shots towards Neo. The mute girl's eyes widened in pain as she felt each causing her to recoil. She held her left arm to block, while her right hand still held onto Hush.

"Like Ruby said, evil will never beat us." Yang said in between her punches, "You will never win!" Yang declared before unleashing a powerful gut punch. Neo coughed blood as she felt one of her ribs shattered. "Because in this story, we're the heroes," Yang said before reeling back her right arm for the final punch, "and you're just a vil-"

At that moment, Neo glared back at Yang. The mute girl them moved her right hand onto Hush, pressing one of the buttons. Not the one to open her umbrella, but to extend the blade. Yang's eyes widened as the sharp metal pierced through her body. The blade ripped through her intestines before exited a few inches out the blond brawler's back. Yang's right arm shaking as her hair started losing its luster. Neo gipped her umbrella with both hands, violently ripping it out of Yang's body. The motion created a large horizontal gash, causing Yang's guts to spill on the airship. The blond brawler coughed a cupful of blood, her eyes returning to lilac as tears started to run down them. She fell to her knees as held her body. While she was normally okay with any heat, this burning sensation was like nothing else she felt before.

In looked up, Yang saw Neo glaring down at her. The mute girl remained scowling, causing Yang's eyes to tremble. At the last second, Yang gritted her teeth and tightened her right fist. However, before she could do anything else, Neo ran the blade into the blond brawler's neck. The light was lost from Yang's eyes as Neo pulled out the blade. The mute girl watched as the blond brawler's body went limp, falling to the side as a pool of blood formed.

Neo sighed at the battle's end, but then opened her eyes in horror. She quickly scanned the area, looking for that woman in the Grimm mask to show up. However, she did not find the mystery fighter like before. Who Neo did find was someone else in red and black. Ruby. The red hooded girl looked at the sight of her older sister's corpse, falling to her knees as tears fell from her eyes. However, something else was coming out of those silver eyes, "YANG!" Ruby screamed as a mystic light erupted from her eyes expanding over the whole area.

Neo's eyes went white, she had no idea what this was. However, she knew she had to run away from it. The light expanded over the airship as Neo tried to evade it. As she reached the edge, she jumped. The light just grazed the coattails of her jacket before expanding over the sky. With Hush still in her hand, Neo opened her umbrella.

After the light faded, the mute girl let out a sigh of relief. Suddenly, she then heard an explosion. In looking back to the airship, she gasped as half the vessel was on fire. In the sky, the Grimm began falling towards the airship, crashing into the engines. Neo panicked as she searched for her scroll. She needed to warn Roman to get off. However, she remembered tossing her scroll away in the middle of the fight. Again, an explosion was heard. The shockwave pushed Neo away as tried to maintain herself. The massive airship began to descend before crashing into the kingdom of Vale, exploding in a massive inferno.

Eventually, the mute girl landed in the middle of a street. She fell to her knees as she looked at the wreckage. Neo knew she had nothing left. She closed her eyes to…No. She had to keep hope for this time. She reopened her eyes and ran towards the crashed airship. In searching the destruction, Neo knew Roman had to still be alive. If she did not see his body die before her eyes, then he might still be alive. She had to find him, she had to save him. No matter what.

_Three hours later. _

...Neo still searched. The wreckage was still smoking, but most of the fire had nautically died out. The mute girl's hands were blistered from lifting the metal. The white of her eyes turned red as she looked for any sign of him. Neo wondered through where she through was the command deck, the last stop she saw Roman before leaving. She had a slight cough from the smoke inhalation, but she did not care. She would keep searching until she found her One Th-

At that moment, she found him. Rather, enough of him for her to know what his fate was. The orange-haired criminal's body was crushed under a mass of metal. His legs were the only thing Neo saw of him; the rest was just a pool of blood and mush. Based on the impact, it must have happened as soon as the airship crashed. The mute girl's eyes trembled tears fell. This time, she didn't have to see him die, but this was worse.

Neo was about to scream but heard something not too far away. In investigating, she discovered someone else, someone who had survived. Ruby's body was partially crushed by the metal, her legs and left arm were pine. Blood pooled around the rose petals as she coughed. Neo walked over and looked at the girl, the silver light from her eyes was fading, her time felting. The red hooded girl had no strength left; she had no way to defend herself…She was already about to die. Neo gritted her teeth as she extended the blade on Hush. As she raised it over her head, Ruby looked up at the imminent demise. All the red hooded girl could do was nothing except continue to bleed.

Neo readied to plunge the blade downward again, killing her as she did before as she did to this girl's sister. However, her hand trembled. The tears began to pour out of her eyes more than ever before. Ruby watched as Neo dropped the umbrella, then fell to her knees. As the mute girl looked down at the red hooded girl, no sign of pity was seen. Rather, Neo was desperate. In the heterochromia of her eyes, she only wanted one thing now. However, at this same moment, the light full left Ruby's eyes. One who said they would save the world from evil, had died.

Neo knew she had nothing left. She closed her eyes to scream, but no voice came out.

**Chapter 3 - I Want Someone to Hear Me Cry **

**AN: There you go, Neo had to reset. Of all the runs, this is the most depressing one. Neo tried so hard to keep Roman safe, but she couldn't be prepared for Ruby's silver eyes. However, unlike before when Ruby used it in more stable enviorment, it caused all the Grimm to die and crash into the airship. Ruby, Roman, and Yang die in horrible ways this time. But, they will return to life at the start of the next chapter. Neo needs a new plan, but can she be ready after what she has just witnessed, (As Subaru can attest, resetting is never easy). That is all for now, thanks for reading, and hope to see you in the next chapter.**


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: Hey everyone, I have the next chapter here for Re: Neo. This marks the start of a very interesting route Neo takes to try to save Roman. The chapter is a little shorter, but it sets up for an interesting match near the end, so expect a cliffhanger. Hope you enjoy this chapter, leave a review with your comments and questions, and have a nice day.**

…

For an hour, Neo did not move. She only cradled herself in the driver seat, her eyes dried from crying as much as she could. She wanted to stay like this, to make this the route she did nothing. For the mute girl, she considered herself the problem. She thought she is the reason Roman cannot survive. That may be, he would have been better off never knowing her in the first place.

However, Neo knew one thing was true. She would not be been better off never knowing him. She needed Roman; he was the One Thing in this world that gave her light. The mute girl knew she could not let that light go out. No matter what, Neo would save Roman. The mute girl rubbed her right sleeve over her eyes, then exited the ambulance. This time, she knew she would have him live to the end.

As Neo changed her outfit back to normal, she went back to the blank wall. In activating her semblance, she remade her last plan of action. Now, she marked the masked woman with a red x. For some reason, the woman she wanted to show up to kill Cinder never did. Even after sparing Yang the bad press from the tournament, Neo was back to square one. The mute girl pulled back the image of Ruby, now with the silver eyes more prevalent. Neo thought that could kill Cinder easy, or at the very least critically damage her. However, the activation seemed to have been when that girl lost someone she cared about, like the blond brawler.

Neo put her right on her chin, thinking of maybe using one of Ruby's friends as bait. She would lead the red hooded girl to Cinder, then kill the friend to activate the eye thingy. However, Neo barely managed to dodge the attack last time. If it hit her, Neo knew she would be dead. She had to be extra careful this time.

In examining her body, she now realized that all her wounds were healed. In the reset, she was recovered. It had made sense in retrospect but was something she still could not believe. The memory of her body slamming into the airship from the last battle with the blond brawler still rang in her mind. She shook her head to refocus on her current objective.

Neo sighed as she looked at the image of Ruby, then tapped the image twice. In doing so, the image of the black cat faunus and white heiress appeared. Neo then dragged back the blond brawler. She did not know how many friends the red hooded girl had, but she knew of these three. One she already had enough unpleasant encounters with, and she knew Roman did not like the girl in black. Regardless, she only needed to get one of them to lure, as Roman would call her, Red into a trap.

The mute girl knew her plan, capture one of these three girls. Then get Cinder to meet while also getting Ruby to show up at the same time. In the middle of the meeting, Neo would slit one of the three friends' throat before the red hooded girl's silver eyes. Finally, she dodges that expanding light while Cinder is still gasping at what happened. Neo let out a sigh of relief, thinking this would be the time she could save Roman.

**Re: Neo **

This time, Neo did not stop Cinder's plan. She let the blond brawler look like a manic in front of the world for attacking a defenseless student. However, while the mute girl was just given the scroll by Cinder, she did not go straight to the airship. Rather, Neo watched around the corner of the hallway, focused on Team RWBY dorm room door. She waited until three exited; Ruby, Blake, and Weiss. The red hooded girl went one way while the other two went a separate direction. Neo hid out of sight as the black and white duo passed her. The mute girl knew Yang was still in the room, but she was also with an experienced hunter and …a dog? While she had experience with dealing with the blond brawler before, the other two variables made her feel uneasy. Neo decided to follow Weiss and Blake, thinking about which one she should use as the bait along the way. However, she did overhear their talk of beverages, giving Neo an idea.

_A while later. _

Blake and Weiss sat at the counter of a juice bar, each with tea as their drink of choice. However, the black cat faunus looked at the cup with sorrow in her eyes, "…You still don't trust her, do you?" Weiss asked, "Look, I know that Yang is a hothead. She knows when to hold back."

"I know," Blake responded, "Then, what did happen in that arena?"

"I don't know," Weiss said before sipping her tea, "Ruby's uncle said he would launch an investigation after the tournament, so all we can do it wait."

"I hate waiting," Blake said before seeing Weiss wobble in her seat, "Are you okay?"

"Y-yeah, I must still be lightheaded from my fight." She said before putting the cup down. The two then looked up to see the tournament arena, "Oh, look at that, I guess Penny is about to fight Pyrrha. I wonder who will…" The White Heiress was saying until stopped herself, placing her left hand on he now sweating forehead, "Sorry, I think I need to use the restroom."

"Weiss?" Blake said, but Weiss was already out of her seat. The white heiress stubbled into the woman's bathroom. The black cat faunus had a look of worry but then was distracted as the tournament match began.

Despite the sign saying out of order, Weiss went side the female restroom. She quickly made her way to the sink before vomiting. The White Heiress expelled most of dinner and lunch as her face was drenched in sweat, "What in the world," She said to herself after the vomiting stopped, "I feel like my insides are-" Weiss said before her cheeks puffed, causing her to expel more vile down the drain. Her eyes filled with tears as snot ran down her nose. Her legs trembled as could barely stand.

Suddenly, someone entered the restroom. Weiss looked to see a young woman with long brown hair and brown eye. She wore a light brown shirt over a black vest, as well as having jeans and black dress shoes, "You!" Weiss pointed as she young woman, "You're the barista that brought us our drinks," She said as the barista smirked, "What did you put in that tea!?"

Suddenly, the barista's outfit shattered with pink light, revealing Neo in her normal outfit. Weiss gasped as the mute girl showed a small yellow box with the image of a dead rat on the cover. The white heiress gritted her teeth as tired to draw her rapier. However, Neo dashed in and collided her right knee with Weiss's face. The white heiress body hit the wall with a loud bang.

Outside, Blake's cat ears under her ribbon twitched as she turned her head towards the restroom. As she turned her head, she caught a whiff of something she did not notice before. The black cat faunus picked up Weiss teacup, sniffing the contents before her eyes widened in horror. She got up from her seat and quickly ran to the women's restroom. Blake looked around but saw no one. However, she could smell vile from the sink. While she grimaced at the sight, she recognized food chunks from their meal after the first round. She then noticed a large crack in one of the tiled walls, "Oh no!" The black cat faunas said before hearing the blowing wind. She looked to see an open window over one of the stalls, one barely big enough for a person.

Blake climbed to the window, but her eyes widened at the sight. In the back alley, Neo tossed a barely conscious Weiss into the back compartment of the ambulance airship. The white heiress arms and legs were tired as her mouth was tapped, "WEISS!" Blake screamed as Neo turned. The mute girl's eyes went white before running inside the airship, closing the back door, and reaching the driver seat. Blake climbed out of the window as Neo started the airship. As the airship took off, Blake jumped and grabbed onto the back bumper. The airship blasted into the sky, but Blake held on. Neo looked in the rearview mirror to see Blake climbing up. The mute girl gritted her teeth as she shifted gears. The black cat faunus' body was slamming into the frame of the airship, but she still hung on.

Neo smirked, confident in her driving ability. She buckled her seatbelt as she turned the wheel right. Blake gasped as the airship started to flip over. Inside the airship, Weiss' body crashed into the roof of the airship. The mute girl then caused the airship to flip forward one-hundred and eighty degrees. Neo reversed her thrusters as the white heiress, bashed her head into the back seats. Blake lost the grip on her right hand, he left holding unto a corner of the roof. Suddenly, Neo switched gears again as she took off a full speed. Her head sunk back in her seat as checked the rearview mirror for the unwanted passenger. In the empty sky, Neo saw the body of Blake freefalling. The mute girl smiled at things going right for her. Neo felt slightly bad for Blake but knew that one would land on her feet.

Neo slowed down as she looked up at the massive atlas airship, the one Roman was imprisoned on. She still needed to free him but knew this was the easiest part. Most of the crew was watching the match or away fighting Grimm because of the tournament drama. She then glanced back to Weiss; whose eyes were slightly glazed over as she struggled to breathe. Maybe Neo used a little too much rat poison, but she was unsure if the girl's aura would dilute the potency. However, even if she died, just showing the body to Ruby would causing the red hooded girl to go crazy. Neo then remembered the Grimm crashing into the airship, meaning she knew she had to take Roman away before enacting the final act. She just needed to keep calm and stick to this plan. This time, she knew she would save Roman.

The ambulance airship entered the prisoner loading bay section. Upon landing, Neo could see Roman's cell in the distance. Normally, she would set him free after clearing the area. But she wanted to see him again. She wanted to see him alive and well, to remind her of what she was fighting for.

Neo pulled out the keys before exiting out the driver's door. Before wanting to walk over, she decided to check her hair in the side view mirror. However, she noticed someone that made her eyes go white. Blake was still on the roof of the vehicle. The black cat faunus swing her body for a kick to the mute girl's face. Neo ducked at the last second, causing Blake's blow to knock off the side view mirror and launch her body off the ambulance.

Neo reposed herself, as did Blake. The mute girl gritted her teeth as the black cat faunus had a focused gaze, "You're not the only one with a semblance that fool people's perception." Blake responded, "Now, give Weiss back!"

Neo smirked, her eye color returning to its pink and brown. Blake gritted her teeth as she reached for her Gambol Shroud. She wielded her cleaver and kusarigama for battle. In response, Neo drew Hush. The mute girl reposed with her umbrella. For Neo, this was her first time against an opponent Roman had fought on multiple occasions. She glanced at his cell, seeing that the orange-haired criminal had spotted the two. A look of panic filled his eyes, but Neo remained calm. In her mind, she knew this was the route she would save her one thing. And she was not going to let Blake stop her.

**Chapter 4 – Battle Against the Black Cat **

**AN: There you go, Neo's got her plan to use Ruby as a tactical nuke to kills Cinder. She poisoned Weiss while at the same time, tossing her around like a ragdoll. Like I said before, aura does not save people here as much as it does in the show. Also, Weiss has already lost a lot of her aura from the match earlier where it went to zero, so she does not have anything left. Blake is up to fight against Neo, but who will win? Roman watches on this time, but is this the route he gets saved? You'll have to wait next week to find out. That is all for now, thanks for reading, and hope to see you in the next chapter.**


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: Hey everyone, I have the next chapter here. This is the battle between Neo and Blake, and it was a lot of fun to write. I got focus on the action to tell what the characters are planning. There is also an interesting reference if you pick up on it over the course of the fight that was unintentional at first, but I started to roll with it to the end. Hope you enjoy this chapter, leave a review with your comments and questions, and have a nice day.**

…

Neo launched a glass clone at Blake, but the black cat faunus jumped over the projectile. With her kusarigama, she tossed the weapon at her opponent. However, the weapon broke through Neo's body, revealing her to be another glass clone. Blake quickly searched the area for the real Neo, then realized something. What if the first glass clone was not a clone? She turned around to see Neo in mid-thrust of Hush, the blade already extended. Blake barely blocked the blade with her cleaver. After parrying the strike, the black cat faunus swung her cleaver towards Neo. The mute girl backflipped in evasion to the attack, then reposed with her umbrella. For Neo, Blake was unlike the wild nature of Yang or the high energy of Ruby. She was just like her, one who fought with every tool at their disposal, including their wit and survival instincts. If the mute girl wanted to win, she had to be more cunning than a cat.

**Re: Neo **

Blake changed her kusarigama into a pistol, firing three shots at her opponent. Neo dodged to her left as she grinned the blade of Hush against the metal floor. She dashed towards the black cat faunus with a forward stab. Like before, Blake blocked with her cleaver, then quickly fired a shot into Neo's right thigh. However, Neo's body shattered into a glass clone as the real one was behind Blake. As Neo went for a backstab, the blade went through her opponent.

However, this was just a shadow clone. Neo gasped as her eyes went white. The real Blake charged from the mute girl's right, landing a running knee into Neo's hip. As the mute girl landed on her back, Blake landed on her stomach and held her cleaver to her opponent's neck. Neo used her umbrella to hold back the cleaver from touching her throat but knew she could not do so forever. She had to think fast.

"Give up," Blake asked with a glare, "One false move, and I'll-" At that moment, Neo reached out her right hand to Blake's face. With her thumb, she gouged into the black cat faunus' left eye as deep as she could. "AAAAA!" Blake screamed as she jumped off Neo, gaining distance from her opponent.

The mute girl knew two handy trikes in fighting. The first was from Roman. No matter the level of aura these hunters and huntresses have. No matter how much they may have trained. The eyes are always a weak point to any creature. The second, she had learned herself from this struggle. A person is open to a surprise attack when they start talking down to their opponent. Neo reposed with her umbrella as she changed the orientation of her eye colors.

"You little-" Blake said as could not open her left eye, tears of blood rolling down her face. Neo smirked as she readied for another dash attack. Blake tossed her cleaver at her opponent while ejecting the clip from her pistol. Neo dodged the black blade as she was a few feet away from her target. The black cat faunus loaded a rainbow-colored clip into her weapon as Neo thrust her blade towards her opponent's heart.

Suddenly, Blake fired a shot. While Neo knew the bullet was not even aimed at her, she gasped at the black cat faunus' shadow clone. Rather than just an illusion, it was made of fire dust. Upon Neo's blade making contact, the clone exploded. Neo was sent back in the heatwave, her clothes slightly scorched from the recoil. With her opponent staggered, Blake went on the offensive. She quickly changed the pistol back to a kusarigama before tossing it to Neo's umbrella. The mute girl's eyes turned white as the weapon and ribbon coiled around Hush. Blake pulled the umbrella out of Neo's hand, then retrieved her kusarigama.

Neo focused on dodging, her opponent attempting to stab with her the bladed edge of the kusarigama. Blake held Hush in her left hand but was not using it against Neo. It was not even tightly gripped, Neo could…No, the mute girl knew it was a trap. As soon as she would go for her weapon, the black cat faunus would have her right where she wanted her. Neo had to think of something else to fight her foe with. Suddenly, her back right heel stepped on what she could use.

As Blake went for an overhead swing, Neo stomped on the edge of her new weapon. In doing so, she launched the cleaver on the ground into the air, catching it with her right hand. The black cat faunus gasped as Neo used the cleaver to block the strike. The mute girl pushed back against the kusarigama, leaving Blake in a stunned state. Neo spun as she swung the cleaver horizontally, the blade crashing into Blake's right side.

Blake's aura saved her from being bisected, but the critical hit did more damage than she thought. She jumped back as blood gathered in her mouth, her kusarigama changing back into a pistol. Neo kept the pressure on, dashing right after Blake with a second swing. However, as the pistol shot went off, a shadow clone was made. This one made of stone that encased the cleaver in the rock. Neo could not pull out the weapon as Blake kicked the stone shadow clone towards her opponent. The sculpture of the black cat crashed into Neo's body before breaking apart.

The mute girl had to let go of the cleaver or she would have had the blade crash into her as well. She turned back to see the opponent, but Blake was gone. Suddenly, she looked back to see Roman pounding on the glass as hard as he could. At that moment, Neo realized were her foe was. Blake had gotten behind Neo. Before the mute girl could escape, her umbrella was pressed against her throat.

"It's over," Blake gritted her teeth as she spoke, maintaining the pressure. "Just go to sleep." She spoke as the umbrella was cutting off Neo's ability to breathe.

Neo struggled. She tried to break free, but her opponent had gotten around semblance. She could not make a glass clone to get away, nor could she overpower Blake in this position. She had no weapon, no power, no hope left in this run. As her eyes started to close, she looked at Roman screamed in his cell. While she could not hear him, she knew whose name he was calling out for.

At that moment, Neo remembered the last three times she had seen Roman. In each one, he had died, while she could do nothing but watch. This time, he was watching her fail to save him, not knowing the fate that could befall him. For Neo, she could not fail, not with him watching. Her brain used what little oxygen she had left to think. Think of a way out, think of something she could do. And in her thinking back to one moment, the mute girl had an idea.

Neo slowly moved her left hand to the handgrip of Hush. Because of her gouged-out eye, Blake could not see the mute girl press a button on the umbrella. Not to recall the blade, but to open the umbrella. In the sudden burst, Blake's right hand could not hold the umbrella anymore. In gaining a breath, Neo was freed. Before her opponent could react, the mute girl gabbed Blake's left wrist. Neo extended her opponent's arms, allowing her to aim a kick for the left elbow, "AAAAAAA!" Blake screamed as her arm bent in the opposite direction, dropping the umbrella.

Neo regained Hush as Blake redrew her pistol. As the black cat faunus fired a shot, the mute girl blocked with her open umbrella. However, the umbrella and Neo shattered into glass. Blake gasped before turned around, seeing Neo charging. She fired another shot, but it was another glass clone. The black cat faunus then sensed something approaching from above, discovered it was Neo with a downward stab. Blake shot again, but it was another glass clone. The shards cut into the black cat faunus' body, shaving away at her aura. Over and over again, Blake fired, but only illusions were hit. The projectile shards had reduced Blake's aura to near nothing, but she was not going to give up. As Blake saw one more Neo rush her, she fired again. However, she ran out of bullets in the clip. The black cat faunus gasped as Neo remained focused in her gaze. Blake quickly changed her weapon into its kusarigama form, striking Neo in the right shoulder.

Yet again, this was another glass clone. The real Neo was directly behind this clone, her umbrella already thrust towards Blake's chest. The blade extended and pierced through the black cat faunus' heart before exiting out her back. Blake's aura could not save her from this deadly strike. Neo violently pulled out the umbrella, causing Blake to fall forward onto her stomach. The black cat faunus coughed blood as her breathing went heavy. Despite her vision going blurry, she saw her cleaver a few feet away. With her right hand, she tried to reach for the weapon, her chance to still fight back. However, Neo reversed her umbrella before plunging the blade into Blake's back. The black cat faunus' eye went vacant as if it felt like her whole body froze. Them, as Blake's eye closed, her right hand fell limp, and the blood pooled around her corpse.

Neo pulled out her umbrella before closing it, then retracted the blade. She looked down at Blake's body, then turned back to the cell Roman was in. With a smirk, she changed the orientation of her eye color before walking over. After inputting a code on the command pad, the hatch opened, and Roman was free. Neo expected him to laugh as he did the other times, but he did not this time. Rather, he ran out to hug the mute girl, causing her eyes to turn white. "Thank goodness, you're okay," Roman said as he held on tight. Neo closed her eyes as she hugged him back, her eyes filling with tears.

…

"Really, Red has that kind of power?" Roman said as Neo had explained her plan to him, "How do you know that?" He asked as she wanted to explain her ability to go back in time. However, she could not bring herself to mention that it is because he dies. So, Neo remained silent, causing him to sigh, "Okay, you can tell me later." The orange-haired criminal said with a grin, "Gotta say, I do like a plan that screws over a lot of my least favorite people. I can't wait to see the look on Cinder's face after Red messes her up" He said with Neo smiling, "Well, let's get going." He said as he led the way to the ambulance airship.

As they walked, Roman glanced back at Blake's body, "Heh, guess she ran out of lives." He said with Neo letting out a slight giggle. However, the comment made her look back at her One Thing. Could he run out of lives? If going back is when she realizes Roman is dead, what happens when that is not enough? If she sees him die, but is unaffected by the trauma, can she still save him? Would she get used to seeing him die? Suddenly, Neo shook her head to push out this thought. That would never happen. And for her, it did not matter. This was the time she would save him.

Roman opened the back down of the ambulance, discovered Weiss on floor. Her skin pale as she wheezed in agony, "Oh Ice Queen," Roman said with a smirk, "You don't look so hot." He said as he started to get into the ambulance.

"Torch…wick," Weiss said as she looked towards him with Neo about enter as well. However, the white heiress' eyes widened at the sight of her teammate's body in the distance, "Blake!" Weiss said before her eyes filled with rage, "You…I'll…!"

"You'll what? What can you do in your-" Roman taunted before seeing a yellow glyph appear on the floor of the ambulance, "What the?" He said as Neo's had a look of confusion.

"Drop…" Weiss said before the light faded from her eyes, this glyph being the last action of her life, "Dead." She said before her body went limp.

"Oh no!" Roman said before seeing the glyph light expand, "Neo!" He said before pushing the mute girl out of the ambulance.

Neo's eyes turned white as she watched Roman's look of worry. She had seen this look before and dreaded what it meant. When the glyph the floor had finishing charging, it detonated. The ambulance exploded in a blazing inferno. Neo was safe from the bulk of the explosion, but the those inside the ambulance were not. This was not meant to happen; she was doing so well this time…she was going to save him.

Rolling to her side was the bowler hat, the top and rim scorched and stained with blood. The mute girl began to hyperventilate as vehicle continued to burn. Neo knew she had nothing left. She closed her eyes to scream, but no voice came out.

**Chapter 5 – The Meaning of Sacrifice **

**AN: There you go, Roman died again. This one being his most noble one, as he does save Neo from the explosion. However, this means Neo must relive the day again, coming up with a new plan. This one was working and could have succeeded. She managed to kill Blake; whose death is very ironic when you examine it. However, Weiss managed to hang on long enough to take one of the foes down with her. What can Neo do now? How can she change fate to save Roman? That is all for now, thanks for reading, and hope to see you in the next chapter.**


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: Hey everyone, I am back with this series. Now, there are probably a lot of questions. Whey was this on hold? Part of it was me getting very busy at the time with work and my two other fanfics. The other was that Re: Zero Season Two was postpone to later in the year. So, I thought I would postpone this series and return to it when Season Two was closer to airing again. I remember how short I made chapter six in comparison to the others. With it, I decided to add to the existing chapter and repost it for the series return. Hope you enjoy this chapter, leave a review with your comments and questions, and have a nice day.**

…

With Hush, Neo was batting the ambulance door in a fit of rage. Her swings were almost instantaneous of the next strike as she gritted her teeth. She knocked off the side mirror, her reflection shattering as hit the ground. The mute girl caught her breath before looking back to the broken mirror. Her eyes flared with rage again as she went over to it, smashing it into more pieces under the heel of her right boat. She continued to stomp until there was nothing left that could show a reflection.

She was so close; everything would have worked that time. All she needed to do was lure Ruby and Cinder together, using Weiss as bait. However, the white heiress ruined her plan. Now, she would make her pay for ruining that plan. This time, she would not fail. This time, Neo would be the one to save Roman.

**Re: Neo **

Ruby, Weiss, and Blake walked down the halls towards the arena stands, "I still think I should have been the one to go onto the next round." The white heiress commented with her arms crossed.

"Your aura still hasn't fully recovered," Blake commented before smiling, "That last action was risky, but brave." She said with Weiss scoff, hiding the fact she was blushing.

"Yeah, it was really cool!" Ruby said as she looked over Weiss, then noticed something else on her head, "Oh, you still have some ash behind your ears."

"What!?" Weiss responded, "I've already showered twice, I thought I got it all." She said before turning around, "I'll head to the bathroom to wash up, just save my seat." She said before turning around, her two teammates looking to each and shrugged before continuing to the stands.

Weiss entered the restroom, thankful nobody else was inside. She when to the sink and turned on the hot water. In damping a towel, she cleaned what ash remained on her head. After feeling like she got the last spot, she smiled at her reflection in the mirror. The white heiress then looked down as she washed her hands. However, as she looked back to her refection, she discovered she was no longer alone in the restroom.

The mute girl stood being the white heiress, a scowl on her face, "Ne-" Weiss tried to speak, but Neo already grabbed her shoulder and back of her head. She slammed Weiss' face into the mirror as hard as she could. The white heiress recoiled in pain as the hit was focused on her left eye. Neo pulled back her target's head, then slammed it against the mirror again. This time, the crash shattered the mirror. As well, Weiss felt her barely destroyed aura break. In a third motion, Neo crashed Weiss head against the mirror, then skidded it across the shards, "AAAAAAAAAA!" Weiss screamed before Neo chucked her body to the ground. Myrtenaster fell out of Weiss holster as it slide under a stall. As the white heiress tried to get up, she opened her eyes. However, while she could look out of her right eye, the left would not open. Weiss began to hyperventilate as she felt a large mirror shard imbedded into her left eyeball. She then looked up to Neo, seeing the mute girl smirking before stomping on her target's face. At that moment, the white heiress blacked out.

_A while later. _

Weiss slowly regained consciousness as she opened her right eye. She was instantly reminded of the pain in her left eye as she could not open it. In looked down, she found herself tied to a chair by some rope. In quick surveillance of the area, Weiss discovered she was in an empty warehouse. The smell of seawater was strong, letter her know this was near the docked. To her confusion, a movable whiteboard was displayed in front of her location. She then heard someone approaching from her back left. As she turned her head, the white heiress discovered it was the mute girl, "Neo," Weiss said in disdain, "Roman little bodyguard."

Neo smirked, changing the colors of her eyes. In her right hand, she held her umbrella. While in her left, a scroll. However, it was not her scroll, but Weiss' scroll. The mute girl dropped the device before crushing it under her heel. The white heiress gasped until Neo walked over to the whiteboard, tapping it with her umbrella. Suddenly, a pink text appeared before her captive.

_No way to call for help now._

Weiss read the message before gritting her teeth, "What do you want?" The white heiress asked with Neo scrolling. In tapping again, a new message appeared.

_I want Roman to survive. _

"Survive, he's in prison." Weiss commented before scowling back, "Just like you'll be after I get untied." Neo gritted her teeth, now holding Hush like a bat as she took a few steps closer. She swung and hit across the left side of Weiss' face, "AAAAAA!" Weiss screamed in agony as she could feel leftover shards of the mirror go deeper into her skull. After a few breaths, she spat blood on the ground as Neo returned to the board. Weiss looked up to see a new message.

_Sorry, I've had a really bad day._

Neo smirked as she knew Weiss was reading the message, "So what? You think the Atlas military will kill him soon?" Neo shook her in from side to side before tapping a new message.

_You did._

"What!?" Weiss questioned, "I didn't kill Roman, he's still alive now in his cell." The white heiress retorted, "He and I barely have shared a word together, except that time he called me Ice Queen." Neo then had a slight giggle, "Shut up!" the mute girl then tapped the board again.

_You, Red, Cinder. All of you have killed Roman before. _

"Huh?" Weiss said in confusion. "What does that even mean?"

_I have tried to save him, but someone keeps ruining my plans. Last time, it was you. You did not stay put and killed yourself to take Roman and me out with you. He saved me. However, I have not been able to save him once. _

"Oh, I get it." Weiss responded in a cold voice, "Either you're confusing me with someone else. Or, and the one I am leaning more towards, you're insane." With that comment, Neo walked up and batted Weiss again with Hush. This time, it was against the right side of the white heiress' face. Neo then walked back to the board.

_This time, my plan will not fail. Like before, you will be bait for Red. She will come here as I invite Cinder to this meeting. There, I'll slit your throat. Red's eye thingy will start and kill Cinder. When Red is too tired to move, I will stab her in the heart. Then I will free Roman and we will escape._

"And you two will live happily ever after?" Weiss sarcastically said before realizing something, "Wait, what about Ruby's eyes makes you think they will kill this Cinder?"

…_You don't know? _

"No, you haven't made any sense to me since minute one!" Weiss responded, "Now, explain yourself! How do you know all of this?"

Neo was about to hit Weiss again. However, she realized something. This would be the first time she could tell someone about her ability. The mute girl sighed, the tapped the board. As the words appeared, she felt like a small weight was lifted.

_When Roman dies, I scream and close my eyes. When I open them, I am back in the past hours before that moment. I have tried to save him by returning three times now, but I failed. This is the fourth time…. I don't want to keep doing this…. I just want to see him live._

Neo looked at the message, wiping a tear from her right eye. She then looked back to Weiss, but her eyes went white. Her prisoner's head was hung low, her body went limp. Neo went over to examine the body, the white heiress eyes closed. Did she die from blood loss, the shards reaching her brain, or…was it telling this girl the truth? Neo reached to check for a pulse. However, this was her error.

"…Got you." Weiss softly spoke as Neo gasped. Suddenly, a yellow glyph appeared on the ground before detonating. Neo was blown back in the shockwave, dropping Hush before hitting the whiteboard. She slid on her back a few meters before stopping. The mute girl pushed herself halfway up as she looked to the smoke, expecting the white heiress to have met the same fate as before. However, Weiss emerged. She walked past the bits of rope and chair that once bound her. "Looks like I was right," Weiss said before picking up Hush, "You are insane." She said before reposing with the umbrella as if it was her rapier.

Neo gritted her teeth as she stood up. She had no weapon to defend herself, but she could not run. Her opponent now was already weakened, but like her, she was not about to give up. This would not be an easy fight, but if Neo wanted to save Roman, she had to win. She dodged each of Weiss's attacks. With each thrust of Hush, the White heiress grew angry at each contestant misses. In seeing an opportunity, Neo reached for her weapon in hoping to hit the button to open the umbrella. However, Weiss's eye was trained on her opponent. She reposed her weapon before landing a spin kick into Neo's side. The mute girl flinched in pain before jumping back to gain distance. She now realized this opponent would not fall for the same tricks as the others. Neo needed a way to gain the upper hand, something that would have the white heiress lower her guard. At that moment, Neo smirked with an idea.

"Take this!" Weiss declared before spawning multiple white glyphs behind her. Each started firing icicles at Neo, but the mute girl backflipped as she dodged all of them. Weiss then spawned a larger glyph, unleashing a massive ice sword the rocket towards Neo. The mute girl rolled out of the way, but as the blade crashing into the ground, it exploded with icy shrapnel.

Neo held her arms in a blocking stance, the ice cutting into the clothes and skin. She landed on her feet but soon realized she could not move. As she looked down, her eye when the same shade of white as the glyph that froze her heels in place.

Suddenly, she heard the blade of Hush extend as Weiss figured out which button it was. Neo turned to see the white heiress power up in a yellow gear glyph, "Now, time for payback!" Weiss declared before dashing at high speed towards her opponent. She reeled Hush back for a powerful strike, aiming for her opponent's eye.

Suddenly, Neo's body sparkled in a pink light. As Weiss gritted her teeth, anticipating a glass clone as a shield, she gasped at the results. "Ruby?" the white heiress said in hesitation, seeing her red hooded team leader before her. While this was only for a split second, it was all that Neo needed. With Weiss's focus broken, Neo grabbed Hush. As the white heiress gasped, the mute girl bashed the end of the umbrella into her opponent's abdomen. Weiss was launched back as Neo regained Hush. She batted the ice at her feet with the umbrella, freeing her before rushing at Weiss. The white heiress realized her fault and was now watching her opponent about to deliver the final hit in the form of her best friend. Neo had done it, believed she could still recover this route.

However, the unexpected had arrived.

A sniper round shot into the blade of Hush, shattering it. Neo then saw a kusarigama coiled around her weapon. Before she could see it coming, a fiery punch landing into the left side of her face. Her disguise of the red hooded girl broke as she let go of her weapon, skidding on the pavement before coming to a stop. Neo looked towards the new arrivals in dread, while Weiss let out a slight giggle, "Heh, took you long enough."

"Sorry to keep you waiting." Ruby said as she helped up Weiss, "We didn't notice you were gone until after Yang's match ended."

"Yeah, then we checked the bathroom." Blake said as held Myrtenaster, returning it to the white heiress, "Really sorry about your eye."

"I'll live without it," Weiss said before turning to Yang, "I see you were able to find me easy enough."

"Yep, you were transmitting low aura for a while." Yang said as Neo gasped, "The signal went dead right here. So, it was a safe place to start searching." She said before glaring at the mute with red eyes, "Now, all of us have a score to settle." Yang said before hitting her fist together. "No more running away."

Blake then tossed Hush into the air, slashing it into bits with the cleaver, "No more weapons."

"No more tricks," Weiss said as she reposed with her rapier.

"This time," Ruby said as she aimed her sniper rifle, "We will defeat you!"

Neo gritted her teeth, stare down the four that stood in the way of rescuing her One Thing. However, she was not going to give up, no matter the odds.

**Chapter 6 – Nefarious Schnee **

**AN: There you go, Neo taking Weiss as prisoner worked out worse than before. She was able to pull a fast one on the white heiress, but now must go up against the full Team RWBY. With no Hush at her side, what chance does she have? If she wants to save Roman, she will have to figure something out. Now, with the return of this series, I will confirm a few things. This series will be ten chapters in total, which we are now six down. I do not know if I will have them out weekly, but I want to have the last one out before Re: Zero Season Two airs if possible. That is all for now, thanks for reading, and hope to see you in the next chapter.**


	7. Chapter 7

**AN: Hey everyone, I have the next chapter here. Thank you for all the support for this series and its return. With this chapter, we get the conclusion of the route Neo has taken here. And, it is a blood one. Be warned, the violence her is very brutal and is the darkest in this series. (If you have read my **_**Death and Demo,**_** you know what I am talking about). As well, I made this one a little longer to celebrate the Re: Zero game that got announced. I am excited for it and will play it on release. And the livestream that happened as I posted this, which I hope was the release date. Hope you enjoy this chapter, leave a review with your comments and questions, and have a nice day.**

…

Ruby's swung her scythe. Weiss thrusted her rapier. Blake slashed with her cleaver. Yang punched with her gauntlets. All Neo could do was dodge, keeping an eye on her opponents' movements. However, four against one was taking its toll on her. The mute girl could handle one-on-one, but with each additional opponent, the difficulty spiked exponentially. Weiss launched a barrage of icicles as Yang shot a blast of fire dust. Neo rolled out the way of the projectiles but found herself in front of the other two girls. Both changed their weapon's forms and aimed. Blake rapid fired with her pistol with Neo dashed out of the way. However, the mute girl's eyes went white as Ruby locked on with her sniper. The red hooded girl grinned as fired with the round landing directly in the abdomen.

**Re: Neo**

However, Neo's body shattered into glass. Team RWBY then scanned the area but saw and heard nothing. Yang gritted her teeth as she walked over to little sister, "Another fake." She said before looking up at the sky, "But with no getaway vehicle, she couldn't have gone far."

Blake examined the area of the dockyard, "This place is too big, we can't find her if we stick together." She said before turning back to her team, "But she knows that."

"She wants us to split up," Weiss answered, "Neo plans to fool us by transforming into someone else."

"Then we search in pairs. One watching the other's back." Ruby commented, looking to the black cat faunus, "Blake and I will search west, Yang and Weiss will take the east. As soon as you hear something, rush to the others position for backup." Her teammates nodded before going their separate ways.

Each pair walked through the docks, navigating the maze of freight containers. Undenounced to them, Neo laid on one of the higher up freight containers. She looked down at the two pairs, gritting her teeth. This was not part of her plan, she needed to take them down fast.

Neo looked up at the massive Atlas airship, where she knew Roman was held. While she was late on breaking him out, she knew he was safe up there. However, she knew Atlas could not stop Cinder once was she powered up. Neo needed to kill Cinder before freeing Roman, that was the only way to save him. But first, Neo needed Ruby.

The mute girl focused on the pair with the red hooded girl and the black cat faunus. Neo looked at her empty hands, no Hush to work with. She cannot take on two opponents without any form of defense. However, she did not need to fight two opponents, she just Ruby to knock her out. Suddenly, Neo smirked as she realized something else. She did not need to be the one to knock Ruby out. The mute girl giggled, silently jumping off the freight container.

A silence was falling over the dockyard. Suddenly, a small airship landed near the warehouse. As the lone passenger exited, he carried a small duffel bag behind his back.

Meanwhile, Ruby and Blake traversed the dockyard. The red hooded girl took point as she held her sniper at the ready. "Stay on your guard, she could still turn into one of the others to trick us." Ruby commented as Blake held her cleaver and pistol at the ready, "Or somebody else to throw us off even more."

"Right," Blake answered before her faunus ears flinched, causing her to gasp.

"What is it?" Ruby inquired as she turned back.

"I just-" Blake answered before realizing she was standing in a large shadow. In looking up, the black cat faunus gasped at a massive freight container held by a large magnet. However, at the control station, Neo switched her eye colors before pressing the magnet release button.

"BLAKE!" Ruby cried before dashing at full speed, tackling her and her friend out of the way of the freight container. The hunk of metal and steel crashed into the concrete, but no one was underneath, "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Thank you." Blake responded with a smile as Ruby smiled back. The two then got up with a look of determination, one that was trained on the control station, "That didn't work, Neo!" Blake shouted.

"Yeah, now we knew you're at!" Ruby said before she was about to ready her weapon. However, she soon realized something, "Wait, where's my Crescent Rose?" She said as Blake realized she had dropped her weapon as well during the tackle. The two quickly found the weapons safely on the ground, but then saw them fly up into the air. Blake and Ruby gasped as their weapons were now attached to the magnets. Neo then moved the crane to another freight container, attaching it to the magnet. Crescent Rose and Gambol Shroud were flatted under the hunks of magnetized metal.

Blake gritted her teeth, "So, that was her plan." She said before seeing Ruby twitching with rage, "Oh no, Ruby calm down, we can fix it-" She pleaded, but Ruby already started sprinting towards the control station, "Damn it!" Blake said before running after her enraged leader, "Yang, your little sister is taking too much after you now." Blake commented as she tried to keep up.

It did not take long for the black cat faunus to lose sight of Ruby. Blake still ran, knowing where her leader was head, and hope she would make it there in time. She continued to run until hearing a slashing sound. In the middle of her path, a freight container fell that had been diced diagonally now prevented her from advancing. She gritted her teeth as she heard footsteps behind her. The black cat faunus turned around, taking up a weaponless fighting stance. However, she gasped at the one behind her. He was a White Fang swordsman, one with red hair and the horns of a bull, "Adam!?" Blake said in dread as the White Fang swordsman approached. Her fists started to tremble, but then tighten, "No, you're just Neo in disguise." She said, despite a line of sweat running down her right cheek, "Or, y-you're just an illusion!"

Adam then stood a couple of feet from the black cat faunus, smirking as he looked down at her, "Oh, I'm no illusion." He spoke as Blake began to shiver with dread, "I'm your worst nightmare."

Meanwhile, Ruby made it to the control station. She quickly saw Neo smirking at the red hooded girl. Ruby rushed in at nearly full speed, but Neo did not move. She was about to tackle the mute girl but realized the trap at the last second. Ruby stopped a couple of feet before Neo, who shattered into glass from the shockwave of speed, "I'm not that gullible." Ruby said as she stared at the steel beam the clone was leaning against.

Ruby heard a giggle from above. She gasped upon seeing Neo dive kicking towards her. Ruby dashed back, causing Neo to miss. The mute girl rushed in to keep up the pressure with close combat. Ruby held a blocking stance, her forearms taking a barrage of punches and kicks. The red hooded girl tried to land a right punch in response, but Neo dodged and grabbed the right arm. The mute girl smirked, but Ruby responded with a sudden headbutt. Neo let go of the arm, jumping back to dodge. With Ruby was stunned form her miss, Neo dashed in with a right running knee to the red hooded girls' face.

Ruby stumbled back before blood leaked from her right nostril. Neo extending her right hand, coiling her fingers inward. The red hooded girl then used her speed semblance, running circles around the mute girl. Neo quickly found herself in the center of a red rose tornado. She started to feel her feet leave the ground as wind current got stronger. Neo launched one of her glass clone's forwards, but it shattered without breaking Ruby's stride. The mute girl shielded herself from the glass shards but was now lifted a few meters into the air.

Suddenly, Ruby dashed for a stake of freight containers. The tornado followed as Neo was pulled inside. The red hooded girl stopped before he freight containers, but the tornado crashed into them with a loud thud. As the red rose petals feel, Neo's body had dented the metal of the freight container. She fell out of the dent, landing on the concrete ground. Ruby saw Neo struggling to push herself up, coughing drops of blood as more than a couple of ribs were broken, "That was for my friend's eye and my favorite weapon." Ruby spoke before walking over, "Give up and turn yourself in."

Neo scowled back, managing to make it to one knee. If she wanted to save Roman, giving up was something she could not do. She got to a standing position; her fist clenched as she went for a right hook. Ruby dodged before punching Neo in the side of the head.

"Stop, this just sad." Ruby called out as Neo stumbled back from the punch, leaning against the freight container, "If I can beat you in a fistfight, what do you think will happen when Yang shows up?"

Neo's breathing was heavy, she knew she underestimated this girl's creativity without her weapon. However, Neo knew her plan would still work. All she needed was one hit to land, but Ruby was on her guard and still levelheaded. At that moment, Neo knew just how to mess with her opponent's head. Ruby saw Neo's right hand took the freight container, which flashed pink with text appearing.

_Just like the heroes in fairytales, I will not give up._

"What!?" Ruby responded in shock, her hands trembling, "Why would you say th-"

In her opponent's distracted state, Neo quickly went for a throat punch. Ruby's eyes widened in pain as her windpipe closed. However, while still making contact with the punch, Neo and Ruby's bodies flashed in a pink light. The red hooded girl stumbled back; her eyes closed.

Upon opening her eyes, Ruby was looking at herself. Rather, it was Neo who returned to looking like the red hooded girl. Ruby grit her teeth, not appreciating this taunt. She raised her fists but noticed the gloves. Ruby looked down to see she was now wearing Neo's outfit, now had Neo's hair, now had Neo's eyes.

At that realization, Ruby saw her partner and sister finally arrive. Neo barely had to fake her pain in her disguise. Yang, seeing her little sister holding her side in pain, only had eyes of hatred towards the mute girl. The blond brawler's hair glowed as her eyes went red. She lunged forwards with a fiery right punch. Ruby tried to call out to her sister to stop but could not speak a word. She could only gasp as her voice was temporally silence from that throat punch. After realizing that, it was too late to dodge. The fiery punch connected with Ruby's face, launching her body into the steel beam.

Ruby's body bounced off the beam before the Neo disguise faded. Yang's eyes widened in dread, "R-ruby?" She said as Weiss gasped in horror, seeing their teammate barely conscious, "Oh no, what have I done!?" the blond brawler said before the white heiress went to Ruby's side.

"She's still breathing, but that hit was more damage than her aura could take," Weiss said before glaring over to where Neo was. However, the mute girl was already gone, "The real one got away."

Yang began seething with rage again, "DAMN IT!" Yang said while punching the steel beam, bending it, "I swear, I'm gonna kill that two-tone little bitch!" She said as Weiss had a look of slight fear at the burning hatred of her teammate.

"Yang, we need to get Ruby to a hospital." Weiss pleaded, then felt her eye wound throb, "We need to retreat"

"Then go, take Ruby with you." Yang responded, scanning the arena for her enemy, "I can take Neo out on my own."

"That's not what Ruby would want, you're acting too rash." Weiss responded, "This is exactly why you attacked Mercury, you let your rage overcome you."

"Shut up!" Yang shouted back, "This is not the time to bring that up. Also, HE ATTACKED ME!"

"Look, I don't care if he was standing there or attacked you!" Weiss shouted as she stood up, "Yang, you still fired back at a person without aura. And with as little as Ruby, you might have just given your little sister a concussion."

"Are you saying I did this on purpose!" Yang said while pointing at Ruby, "Neo used her semblance to trick us, Weiss. Or is your ego still too big not to see the facts in front of you!" The blond brawler then started to walk away, "Screw you, Ice Queen."

Suddenly, a white glyph appeared at Yang's boots, encasing them in ice, "You need to calm down." Weiss said as Yang glared back, reading her rapier, "Stop this before you get yourself hurt."

"Hey, if I get hurt," Yang responded as her aura started to melt the ice, "It just makes me stronger." She then broke the ice, turned back to the face the white heiress, and put up her fists. The two continued to glare, each waiting for others to make the next wrong move.

In the distance atop another freight container, Neo looked on with a smirk. She was right, the blond brawler was very short-tempered. Now, Ruby is taken care of. All Neo needed to do is let these two distract each other, then she can carry Ruby off. Even without one of her friends, Neo would find a way to get those silver eyes to activate to kill Cinder…. However, something was slightly off. Neo felt like she had forgotten someone.

"AAAAAA!" All three girls had heard the black cat faunus cry in agony. Weiss and Yang turned to the sight of Blake's body being tossed over a freight container. They gasped at their teammate's wounds. Multiple slashes and stabs over her blood-soaked body. Blake could barely move, yet she reached out to her friends, "...r…un…" She spoke with the last of her strength.

Before either Yang or Weiss could take another step, Adam leaped over the freight container. With one downward thrust, he ran his sword into the back of the black cat faunus, stabbing her heart. Blake's eyes lost their light as her hand fell, "No," Adam said before pulling out Wilt, "There is no escape."

"Blake!" Weiss screamed. However, she felt a heatwave coming off the blond brawler, whose hair was now set ablaze.

"I'LL KILL YOU!" Yang shouted at Adam, her eyes near fully red. She rocketed herself towards the white fang swordsman, her right arm reeled back. Adam grinned as he sheathed Wilt inside Blush.

However, he did not aim for the arm. In one slash, the crimson blade slit Yang into two even halves. She did not even realize she had died until her vison broke and the flames went out. The white fang swordsman sneered as the two halves hit the ground. Weiss trembled in dread at the death of another teammate, as well as the killer now looking directly at her, "You're next, Schnee."

Weiss grit her teeth before spawning two white glyphs intent on firing icicles. However, Adam quickly fired Blush into those same glyphs, causing them to explode. Weiss was caught in the blast wave as she was slightly pushed back. As she was about to repose her rapier, Adam dashed thought the smoke. The white heiress gasped as she felt a sharp pain in her abdomen. Her eyes widened as she looked down, seeing the handguard of wilt pressed against her body, "No." Weiss said before Adam violet sliced through Weiss's body, causing her to fall on her right knee, She vomited blood as her aura was not able to heal this wound.

"I'm not sure which kill I'm more satisfied with." Adam said while looking back to the corpses of Blake and Yang, then turning to Weiss, "But you, I have always wanted to kill a Schnee."

"You psychopath," Weiss said as her breathing was heavy, "What did my company do you to make-" She is saying until Adam kicking her in the face, sending Weiss on her back. The white heiress gritted her teeth as she looked up at Adam, but then gasped as he removed the Grimm mask.

"Despite what you say, I'm my own master now. And my name is Adam." The White Fang Swordsman said as he looked down at Weiss with his branded eye, which was focused on her gouged-out eye, "Heh, karma has a twisted sense of humor, doesn't it?"

Weiss was left speechless, unable to think of what to say. Slowly, with her last moment, she thought of something, "…I-" However, before she could say another word, Adam slashed out her other eye, "AAAAAAAAAA!" Weiss screamed as she placed her hands over her eyes, but could only see red.

Neo looked on in dread in her white eyes. She had no idea of this White Fang's ability to kill. Her breathing was heavy as she feared what would happen if he saw over. However, she had realized something else, Ruby was starting to wake up. Adam walked over her as he approached the red hooded girl. As Ruby's sat up, her eyes trembled at the sight, "Blake…" Ruby said as her eyes started to radiate a silver aura, "Yang…" She said as Neo began to panic, not knowing how big this blast wave would be or if she could get away this time. Ruby then noticed her partner, who had finally bled out from her wounds, "Wei-"

Before she could finish the word, Adam fired Blush point-blank into Ruby's skull. Her body fell limp as the silver aura faded away. A single eyeball rolled away from the red hooded girl's corpse. Neo was stunned in horror. The trump card she was planning to use against Cinder, was eliminated in a second. However, she could not think more about the subject, as Adam was looking right at her position, "You can stop hiding." He called out with her gasping, "Don't make me come up there."

Neo began to sweat. She had no way to fight this White Fang Swordsman, especially without her weapon. Then again, maybe she could convince him to fight for her. She thought as a smirk formed on her face. If she could get Adam to fight Cinder, maybe the two could kill each other while she and Roman got away. It was worth a try, as she knew her one thing was still alive. Neo jumped off the freight container and landed near Adam. She bowed as her eye colors had returned.

"Skip the formalities, I will just get to the chase." Adam responded, "Cinder was not happy that you ditched her as the ambulance driver." He said with Neo putting on a fake smirk, "She was even madder when you did not get to the meeting after the match with that girl." He said while pointing to the corpse of Yang, "So, she asked me and my fellow White Fang members to storm the atlas aircrafts." Adam spoke as he tightened his grip on Wilt, "But we were all outgunned, and I had to abandon the others to make it out." The White Fang Swordsman said as Neo took a step back, "So, Cinder is now mad at me because you and that crook couldn't do your jobs!" Adam shouted, then smirked, "I don't care about you humans at all, but I'd rather stay on that woman's good side." Neo gritted her teeth as she tightened her fist, knowing there was no way to change his mind. However, Neo kept hope since she knew Roman was still on that airship.… Then she realized the small duffle bag. "So, what do you think of my apology gift?" Adam said as he removed and tossed the small duffle bag to Neo's feet.

In looking down, Neo saw bits of orange hair in the zipper. She fell to her knees, her eyes going white. The mute girl was hyperventilating, tears forming near instantly. While her hands trembled, she moved to unzip the bag. Adam sneered as he raised Wilt high into the air. Upon seeing what was inside, Neo knew she had nothing left. She closed her eyes to scream, but no voice came out.

**Chapter 7- The Wrath of a Bull**

**AN: There you go, Adam killed nearly everyone this route. You see how Cinder acts when Neo just bails on the plans and goes off to kidnap Weiss. All of this for Ruby's Silver Eyes Nuke, but they do not really matter when someone can just blow your head off when you are not paying attention. All of Team RWBY died here and Roman was beheaded, that is going to leave some more mental scars on Neo. She may not have died like they have, but she has suffered. Next chapter, you see just how much this has piled up on her as she has some important talks. That is all for now, thanks for reading, and hope to see you in the next chapter.**


	8. Chapter 8

**AN: Hey everyone, I have the next chapter here. Thank you for all the support this series has gotten. Since that livestream, we now know the release date of Season Two is July 8****th****, which is perfect for me. That means I hope to have this series done within the first week of July. I had one person mention a route were Neo does nothing like in Re: Zero episode 15, but that was kind of what the last route was in concept. Neo not doing anything Cinder wanted would be the same for Cinder as if Neo doing nothing. Team RWBY might have been better off, but Roman wound have died the same way. So, Neo will not have a break to the level Subaru had in that scenario. However, this chapter does still have Neo at her limit at the start, doing something very abrupt without thinking. Like I said, the story will be ten chapters total. Of all the chapters, I do like this one a lot, and I hope you do too. Hope you enjoy this chapter, leave a review with your comments and questions, and have a nice day.**

…

Inside his cell, Roman was half awake while he waited. However, his eyes fully opened from the light from the hatch opening. On the other side was his mute bodyguard, "You're really early." He commented before Neo took his left hand, pulling him out the cell, "Hey! Neo? What are you doing?" the orange-haired criminal said as Neo got behind and pushed him towards an airship with an open hatch, "No, we are not taking a joy ride. Cinder will be furious at us if we mess with her plans." He said before Neo's forced lessened, then stopped. She wrapped her arms around her One Thing, hugging him from behind, "…Neo?" Roman said as he heard the mummers of crying. He slowly pulled away from her arms before turning around, seeing tears run down the mute girl's face, "What happened?" He said while kneeing to look at her at eye level.

Neo's mind flashed to every time she saw Roman die; eaten by a Grimm, incinerated, crushed to death, beheaded, …trying to save her. Each one was an image burned into her mind and she could not take another one. While wiping her tears, she pulled out her scroll and typed a message for Roman to see, "_We should just run away, leave this whole kingdom_." She said as the tears started to reform, "_I don't care if they follow us, I will protect you._"

"Neo, you don't have to do that. If we follow her plans now, we can leave at a better opportunity." Roman said with a calming smile, "If you're scared of her, I'll talk to Cinder after she burns this kingdom to the ground." Neo shook her head from side to side as the tear ran like a river, "Why, what's wrong?"

Neo went back to typing, "_If she gets that powerful, she will kill you! I've seen it._"

"Seen it? What do you mean?" Roman asked as Neo tried to type more.

"_I have seen you die so many times," _Neo typed as Roman saw the message, "_I can't think of a way to save you…I don't know if it's possible._" She wrote as she could not stop her crying, "_Please, let's just leave this all behind and run away._"

Roman looked at mute girl's tears before sighing, "I've told you this already. Running is no way to live." He said before with Neo looking down, "Look at me, I don't have any of the superpowers you or others have. Everybody is better than me in fight." The orange-haired criminal said with Neo looking at him, seeing his smile form, "But did that stop me from persevering and getting to where I am now. No. When things got difficult, I never gave up and I never ran away." He then saw Neo typing, "And before you say it, those times against Red, they were tactical retreats." Roman said with Neo lowering her scroll.

Neo looked back down in depression, but then felt Roman's right hand atop her head, "The point is, you can't give up because you keep failing or because you think you can't do it." Roman said with Neo looking back at him, her eyes slightly widening, "If you can try again, try something different out the next time to win. If you think you have tried everything, do something you would never think to try. Because you'll never know what will happen until it happens." He said while slightly patting her head, "You've always had an overactive imagination. I'm sure you'll think of something creative." He said with a confident smile, of which Neo started to mimic. Despite her tears, she let out a laugh. Roman pulled her in close as he hugged her, "I trust you to save me, Neo." He said with his eyes closed, causing Neo to hug him back.

**Re: Neo**

_A short while later. _

In their room, Team RWBY gathered. "Okay, my match is in a little bit." Yang said, "Can I count on you three to cheer me on?"

"Of course," Ruby responded, "We know you'll make it to the top."

"There are a lot of strong finalists; Pyrrha, Sun, Penny, even Mercury." Blake added on, "But I know you can win."

"You better," Weiss responded, "Otherwise, I will hold it over your head that I should have advanced instead of you." She said with her arms crossed while Yang rolled her eyes.

Suddenly, the four heard a knock on the door. Ruby got up to answer, but was confused at the guest, "Zwei?" She said as she looked down at the corgi, who entered the room. Weiss and Yang looked down at him with a smile, but Blake had jumped on one of the top bunks, "I thought Uncle Qrow was giving you a walk?"

"Awe, did you ditch him to wish me good luck?" Yang said as she patted Zwei on the head.

However, Blake glared at the animal, "Wait," She spoke, "That's not Zwei?" the other had a look of confusion at the remark, then gasped as the corgi was encompassed in a pink light. With a glass-like shattering, the mute girl stood up as Yang retracted her hand.

"Neo!" Team RWBY said at the same time before assuming a fighting stance. While each one readied in a fighting stance, Neo took out her umbrella.

However, to their surprise, the mute girl dropped her weapon. With her right foot, she slid Hush to Ruby's position, letting the red hooded girl pick up the weapon. Neo did not attempt to fight them barehanded, but they made no action against her. Instead, Neo saw a book on one of the pillows. She walked over to grab it, then used her semblance. In opening the book, they pages flashed pink with much larger text, "_I want to talk with you four_."

"Us talk with you!?" Yang asked with Neo looking back with half-open eyes, "I have no words for the person who almost killed me."

"Yeah," Ruby added on, "And what did you do with Zwei!?"

Neo turned the page, her semblance acting automatically, "_He is fine. I saw him leave with that guy._" They read the new text, "_I just needed a simple way to get in here. One where you four would not panic_."

"Well, you failed," Blake commented.

"Yeah, you made a big mistake coming here," Weiss added on.

"Heh," Yang said as she cracked her knuckles, "Now, payback time."

Neo sighed before turning the page, then had a serious expression, "_Fine, hit me._" The words appeared as Team RWBY slightly gasped, "_You can all beat me up until you feel better; break my arms and legs, crack my ribs, gouge out my eyes. Anything you want to do to me as payback_." they read before the mute girl turned the page, "_But you have to listen to me afterwards_."

"W-what?" Ruby said as slowly was lowering her guard. Soon after, Blake and Weiss did the same thing.

However, Yang was tightening her fists, "You can't fool me! I know as soon as I take a swing, you're just gonna counter or dodge."

"_No, I'll stand right here and take it._" Neo turned the page, focused on Yang, "_We fought before, I know any hit from you would shatter my aura and then some._" She turned the page again, "_I don't have Hush to counter._" With the last sentence, she narrowed her gaze, "_And I am not going to run away._"

"Y-you!" Yang said as she put up her fists, causing her teammates to look at the blond brawler. Neo remained steadfast in her gaze on Yang, while Yang gritted her teeth. The blond brawler reeled back her right arm but held it back far longer than normal.

Each of her friends had a look of worry, Blake especially towards this possible outcome, "Yang, don't-" The black cat faunus said, but the fist was already moving. Blake closed her eyes but heard nothing but Ruby and Weiss gasp. She opened her eyes to see the fist a mere centimeter away from Neo's face, the shockwave of the punch still breezing through her pink and brown hair.

Neo blinked, swapping her eye colors, but remained unflinching. Yang gritted her teeth more before crossing her arms, "Damnit," She said before scowling, "I'm not going to punch someone who's not doing anything." Yang said with Blake letting out a sigh of relief.

Neo turned the page, a slight smile forming, "_I know, but that's why Cinder wants to manipulate you._"

"Cinder?" Ruby commented, "Who's that?"

"Isn't she one of Mercury's teammates?" Weiss gave a possible answer.

"Manipulate me?" Yang added on, "Why?"

Neo turned the page, _"I know her plan. She wants to destroy this kingdom to gain an ultimate power. To do so, she needs Grimm to attack during the festival to occupy most of the experienced hunters and huntresses. But to make the negative emotions to attract them, she needs things to go wrong in the tournament._" She turned the page again, "_In the next round, you will fight Mercury and he will let you win. Then, when his aura is already gone, you will punch him in the leg._"

"What, I would never do that!" Yang responded, "If the match was over and he was done attacking, why would I hit him?"

"Because you thought he was attacking," Blake realized, turning to her teammate.

Neo turned the page, "_I can make illusions, but Emerald can make delusions. She will make you think he was attacking when he is not. All to make you look like a manic in front of the whole world of Remnant."_

"Em? No, she's my friend." Yang responded.

"Yeah, but we don't know much about her," Ruby added on thinking about the situation, "She was always more interested in learning about us, but never talked about herself." She said with Blake realizing it.

"She was gathering information about us," Blake said with Neo nodding.

"_She told Cinder about your personalities, then Cinder rigged the tournament so you would be up against opponents you were likely to win against._" Neo turned the page,_ "Once you were high enough in the ranks were more people would be watching, that would be when Emerald would betray your friendship and have you attack Mercury's leg."_

"That green-haired-!" Yang said as her eyes went red.

"Hold on, one thing doesn't make sense." Weiss pointed out, "Emerald and Mercury are on the same team. Even if they don't get along, why would she make him take a possible crippling shot to the leg."

"_His legs are mechanical._" Neo had on the next page.

"He's a robot?" Ruby asked, then remembering Mercury smelling the boots, "No, they must be prosthetics."

"_Yes, he would be fine from your punch._" Neo looked to Yang, "_But would act like you shattered his bones._"

"Can you prove that his legs are fake?" Weiss said with her arms crossed.

Neo gritted her teeth, thinking this question would come up. However, she was lucky to have planned for this. A few minutes earlier, Mercury and Emerald were walking down the hallway. Suddenly, a plastic cup of iced coffee smashed into the back of his head, "AAAAA!" He screamed as the brown liquid ran down his shirt and pants, causing Emerald to burst into laughter, "Alright, who wants to die!?" Mercury declared as he turned around but saw nobody.

"Wow, somebody isn't a fan." Emerald said while wiping the tears of joy from her eyes, "Just go change and shower before your match." She said before walking off, "Oh man, that was great."

"Yeah, well…You wouldn't be laughing if this happened to you!" Mercury called out before walking the other direction. He eventually made it the room, taking off his shirt and pants, then checking his mechanical legs, "Good, no coffee went in here." He said with a sigh, "That would be a pain to clean out." Unbeknownst to him, a small flash went off.

In the present time, Neo took out her scroll. On it, she showed Team RWBY the image of Mercury's secret. Weiss took the scroll and examined it, tapping the screen to see if it was an illusion. She then checked the photo to see if it was edited in any way, but it was real, "Wow, they are prosthetic." Weiss said before taking the scroll seeing for herself.

"Those jerks!" Yang said as her eyes went red, Neo taking back her scroll, "They think they can make me look like a psychopath in front of everyone." She said before turning towards the door, "Well, I'll show them."

However, Neo blocked the blond brawler's path, holding the book with a single word, "_No._" She then turned the page, "_If you attack them now, it will just speed up their plans of making you look bad._"

"She's right," Blake commented, "We need to make a plan." She said with Neo smirking, "But it looks like you already have one."

"_I do, but…_" Neo had on a page before looking at each member of Team RWBY, then turned the page, "_I need your help._"

"Us? Help you?" Yang said in disgust, "We don't exactly get along."

"Did you all get along when you first met?" Neo had on the next page, causing the four to go slightly silent.

"Still, you tried to kill me." Yang retorted, "I'm still not over that."

"_You're still alive now._" Neo had on another page, "_You should be thankful._" Yang gritted her teeth in anger, but then was confused as Neo had a look of focus eyes again, "_I am trying to make sure nobody dies now._"

"Wait, you want to save the entire kingdom?" Ruby commented.

"_I tried to do it alone but failed. I thought I could do it by sacrificing others, but that is not the way."_ Neo had on the next page, but looked to Ruby, "_In fairytales, the heroes save the Kingdom, even the whole world, in order to protect those they care about._" The red hooded girl's eyes widened in shock as Neo remained unflinching in the seriousness of her statement, "_I want is to save my One Thing more than anything."_

"One Thing?" Blake commented before scowling, "Do you mean Roman?"

"That guy is a no-good criminal!" Weiss added on, "Why is he so important to you?"

Neo turned the page, "_…_"

"Uh, there's nothing on it?" Yang commented.

"_Yes, that was me before I meet Roman._" Neo had on the next page, "_I had nothing; no home, no family, no food, no name, …nobody to hear me speak._" She turned the page, "_But he showed up to me, like a candle in the darkness, and gave me a brand-new name._" A smile formed at the happy memory, "_That was the first time I had something to care about, and someone who cared about me._"

Team RWBY was left slightly speechless, "W-wow, I didn't know Roman was …nice." Ruby commented, "You really care for him, don't you?"

"_I owe him my life. The least I can do is save his from a cruel fate._" Neo had on one page before turning to another, "_So, will you help me?_"

Team RWBY turned to each other, "One second, we need a team meeting," Ruby said to Neo before her and her teammates huddled. The mute girl waited, hearing the mummers of her name coming up in the conversation. She waited until Ruby turned around, clearing her throat, "Neo, after some discussion… we will help you." The red hooded girl answered.

"However, you do not backstab us." Yang interjected, "That means figuratively and literally."

"If we see you doing something evil," Blake added on, "This temporary alliance will be over."

"We will take you down and turn you in," Weiss said with her arms crossed, "At least then you can get a cell next to Roman's." She said with a cold gaze.

Neo smiled, tears in her eyes as bowed in gratitude. The members of Team RWBY looked at each other in confusion. The mute girl then straightened her posture as she dried her eyes. Upon opening them, the eye colors had swapped, and a confident smirk was on her face.

**Chapter 8 – To Hero **

**AN: There you go, we get the big talk chapter. If I had to say my favorite episode of Re: Zero, it is episode 18. It is the best moment in the series for me, and one of the only times I felt my heart break while watching an anime. Just amazing writing with two characters talking. In reference to that, Neo tried to just run away and hope she can at least keep him alive longer that way. However, Roman give her the support she needed to keep going. Not for his own safety, but for her own mental health. With her resolve restored, she finally did what some people wanted her to do, and that is ask RWBY for help. With the final chapters, we will see if this is the route that she finally saves her One Thing from a terrible fate. Hope you enjoy this chapter, leave a review with your comments and questions, and have a nice day.**


	9. Chapter 9

**AN: Hey everyone, I have the next chapter here. Thank you for all the support this series has gotten. We have a familiar start to the chapter here, but things quickly change as Neo has her plan go into action. I really liked a lot of the callbacks and ways things turned out here. Hope you enjoy this chapter, leave a review with your comments and questions, and have a nice day.**

…

Yang unleashed a barrage of punches to Mercury's face. With the last hit, she took out the rest of his semblance and knocked him to the ground. The crowd cheered at the match's conclusion. "Better luck next time," Yang said as started to walk away, but a small smirk on Mercury's face formed. From the stands, Emerald watched as she was about to create the delusion.

"There's not going to be a next time, Blondie." Yang turned around to after hearing the taunt. She then saw Mercury rush towards her with a flying kick. While her right knuckled tightened, the blond brawler remained still.

Yang watched as the delusion passed through her body. She then looked back to Mercury's position, seeing him reappear. He looked back at in confusion, while she smirked before turning back around and walking away.

"What? How did she?" Emerald said in the stands as Mercury turned towards her, a glare on his face. "Hey, don't look at me! She was supposed to take the bait!" She said before seeing him gasp.

"Bait, eh?" Emerald heard a voice call from behind her. She turned to see it was Weiss with Blake right next to her, "Well, it looks like you are the one who's caught."

"We would like to come with us." Blake added, "It's against the rules to use your semblance to interfere with another's match." She said with her arms crossed, causing Emerald to sweat in panic.

Mercury girted his teeth before looking back where Yang had exited the arena. He followed, running down the halls until seeing the blond brawler turn a corner. However, after turning the corner himself, Yang was already waiting for him, "Stop right there." Yang said as she pointed at Mercury, who did so, "The match is over, I won."

"…You knew." Mercury said as Yang lowered her hand, "What gave it away?"

"Not telling," Yang said as she crossed her arms.

"Heh, fine." Mercury said as he assumed a fighting stance, "I'll make you squeal soon enough."

"You realize I just beat you like two minutes ago," Yang responded with eyes half-open.

"I just let you win for the plan," Mercury said before grinning, "But now, I feel like improvising." Mercury was about to leap forward, but a gunshot was heard to his right. he turned to see a pink wall of glass shatter but did not see the high-velocity round penetrate through his mechanical legs, "What!?" Mercury fell to the ground as he looked at his legs detached from his body.

Where the illusion wall was placed, an open door was seen. Inside, Ruby held the still smoking barrel of her sniper rifle, "Those mechanical legs are pretty cool." She commented before holstering her weapon, "But they have a weak spot in the fibula that would cause them to break apart with one well-placed shot."

"HOW!" Mercury yelled.

"Somebody got a good picture of you with your pants down," Yang said as she and Ruby turned to see someone else exit the room. Mercury looked over and gasped as he heard a faint giggle.

**Re: Neo**

Walking down the hall, Emerald was in front of Weiss and Blake. Both members of Team RWBY had their weapons at the ready, while Emerald had failed to bring hers, "Can't we talk about this?"

"You'll have a lot to say to the police." Weiss commented, "But I image the Headmaster or General will have the first chance of talking with you." She said with Emerald gritting her teeth.

Suddenly, a voice came from behind the group, "Hey you two," Weiss and Blake turned to see it was Yang, "What's going on?"

"Yang, why are you here!?" Blake responded with Weiss have had a look of confusion.

However, there was no Yang. Emerald grinned as she had fooled both of her captures. Despite the headache from overexerting her semblance, she made a run for it, "I need to warn Cinder," She thought to herself before she was about to turn the corner, "How did they figure out my sem-" Just as the green-haired thief was about to turn the corner, she was clotheslined by a metallic leg. Emerald landed on her back before becoming unconscious.

Holding the metallic leg was Neo, who smirked as she looked down at Emerald. She then saw Weiss and Blake walk over, the white heiress also looking at Emerald, "Wow, she thought we were that gullible." Weiss then looked over to see Ruby walking with Yang. The blond brawler carried an unconscious and legless Mercury, "Looks like all is going according to plan."

"This is only two down," Blake responded, "We still have Cinder and the White Fang to stop." Neo nodded before taking out her scroll, handing it to the black cat faunus, "What's this for?" She said before looking down at the messages already typed, the other looking over Blake's shoulder.

"_Cinder will have the White Fang cause chaos to make up for the lack of drama from the Tournament. Since I am not following her plans, she should go to the Atlas Airship to upload a virus taking control of the robot soldiers."_

"That's bad," Ruby commented.

"_Our best bet is to split up from here on out."_ The text continued, with Neo pointing to Weiss, Blake, and Yang, _"The three of you will take down the White Fang."_ The mute girl then pointed to herself and Ruby, "_While we finish off Cinder."_

"That may be our best bet," Weiss said before looking to her team leader, "But Ruby, are you okay with going along with her?"

"Yeah, we can just send the White Fang locations to Atlas and they can take care of them for us. If we are all on the airship, that would give us better odds of taking down Cinder." Yang offered.

Neo took back the scroll to type a new message, _"They could beat most of the White Fang, but not one man." _She showed the group with Blake gasp.

"Oh no," the black cat faunus gasped, "I know who you're implying." She said before having a look of worry, "I didn't think he was here."

"Blake, who is he?" Yang asked, but Neo held out the scroll.

"_Adam, a very dangerous man."_ The text read.

"That's saying it in few words," Blake commented, her hands slightly shaking, "Adam is not to be taken lightly. If any of us fought him, I fear the worst may happen." She said with her team going silent, but Neo handed her the scroll with a new message.

"_Don't worry, I know he is bad news. I have a plan."_ Neo's message read, _"The first step, you call him and lead him to the coordinates below." _Neo's mind flashed back to the connections she had deciphered before, seeing Adam's name on the list.

Yang read over Blake's shoulder, "What? He's not gonna fall for that?"

"He will if I'm there." Blake reluctantly answered, looking at the scroll to see more the plan.

Yang then turned back to Neo, "Look, does she have to be there?" She asked with the mute girl nodded, then looking to the blond brawler and white heiress.

Blake scrolls down and saw the rest of the plan, "What in the world!?" the black cat faunus commented, "How do you know that he-" She asked Neo, but the mute girl was already smirking, "…Never mind." She said before turning to Yang and Weiss, "This could work, but it does put a lot of faith in two surprise attacks."

"Well, it makes sense why that is your plan," Weiss said to Neo with Yang nodding. However, the mute girl reaches out to grab both Weiss and Yang's hands. Ruby and Blake watched as their two teammates flashed in a pink light.

_A while later. _

In the Forever Fall Forest, Adam walked towards a clearing. Sitting on a stomp, he saw the black cat faunus looking in the opposite direction. As a smirk formed on his face, he approached with his grip on Blush tightening. He was about to speak but was cut off from a voice from behind.

"Adam." A familiar voice the White Fang Swordsman was heard. He turned around to see Blake was a few feet away, her pistol aimed at his chest. However, she lowered it as a look of sorrow was in her eyes, "I just want to talk."

"Heh," Adam scoffed, glancing back, "You're shadow clones have gotten a lot more realistic." He said before focusing on the true Blake, "Sad that you wish to talk now, I am rather busy at the moment." He said with her scowling, "You would know if you didn't run away."

"I'm not running away more," Blake answered, "I just want you to stop with this violence. It's not going to solve anything and will only create more Grimm!"

"So long as it hurts more humans than faunus, I see no problem with my approach." Adam answered, "And if you're not with me, you're against me."

"Adam…." Blake answered, "Please, it doesn't have to be this way."

Adam remained silent before grinning, taking Wilt and inch out of his sheath, "Oh, but I want it to be." Suddenly, Adam felt a light tap on his right shoulder. "Huh?" he turned to see Blake again. Rather, it was the clone he saw on the stomp that was now scowling at him with red eyes.

As Adam gasped, the White Fang Swordsman did not see the punch on the left side of his ribcage. The fiery force of the punch knocked him through three different trees. From the knuckles of the punch, the pink aura shattered like glass. Under the fake Blake exterior, the blond brawler was seen, "Creep." Yang said as Blake walked over, picking up Wilt and Blush off the ground, "Hope you don't mind if I had hit him a little too hard." She said with a grin, but Blake was still looking at the weapon, causing Yang to have a look of sorrow, "…I'm sorry, I know you hoped he would hear you out."

"Thank you," Blake responded, turning to her friend. The two girls then looked to the forest, "Now, Weiss is up next." She said with Yang nodding.

A distance away, Adam groaned with a massive chunk of his aura gone, "Damnit, they tricked me." He said before realizing Wilt and Blush were now no longer in his possession, "They think this will stop me. No, I'll kill them both." He said while standing up, about to walk towards his opponents. However, in looking down, he saw a black glyph form. Adam jumped back right before icicles could have embedded in his feet. Upon landing on the ground, a smirk formed on his face, "You can't get the jump on me again that easily." He said before examining the arena, "And I know that kind of semblance. Show yourself, Schnee."

Walking out from behind one tree, the white heiress appeared. Adam turned with a grin, looking directly at his target. However, his face went pale as a look of dread fell over him, "W-what!?" Adam exclaimed before pointing at Weiss, "Your eye, it's branded shut!"

"Just like yours," Weiss answered in a cold voice, "That is what is behind the mask, isn't it?"

"HOW!?" Adam shouted, "Who told you? Was it Blake? How did she-" he said as before his rage enveloped him, seeing the white heiress remaining steadfast, "ARE YOU MOCKING ME AND THE PAIN I HAVE LIVED WILL FOR YEARS!? I'LL KILL YOU!" Adam screamed before charging Weiss, his hair a bright red.

The white heiress closed her eye before pointing her weapon down. Just as Adam was a few feet from grabbing her face, a white glyph appeared at his feet. This time, he did not notice it at all, blinded by his hatred. A cold wave passed through the trees of the forest. As Weiss opened her eye, she discovered Adam encased in ice. He was unable to move, frozen in a perpetual scream.

Weiss sighed before placing her right hand on her face. With one rub, the pink aura shattered as her eyes returned to normal. She then turned towards an approaching Blake and Yang, "It's done." The white heiress said before all three looked at Adam, "He's still alive, but will not be going anywhere anytime soon."

"Well, maybe now he can cool off." Yang said with both her teammate looking to her with eyes half-open, "Oh come on, you two both thought it, I just said it." She said while crossing her arms.

Blake sighed before turning back to Weiss, "With Adam defeated, the White Fang here has no leader to follow here." She said with the white heiress nodding, "Neo already leaked the spots the White Fang will attack to the Atlas military."

"That's good, they should be able to apprehend the White Fang without any problems," Weiss commented, "How Neo knows all of this is beyond me."

"Yeah," Blake said before looking back to the ice-encased Adam, "Especially what was under Adam's mask."

"Well, we can ask her later." Yang said before picking up their captive White Fang Swordsman, "For now, we need to drop off this ice cube to the police before he thaws out." She said with the two on them nodded.

Yang and Blake started to walk away with Weiss following. However, the white heiress looked up to Atlas airship in the far-off distance, "Ruby, be careful." She said before turning around and following her friends, "Even with this plan, I feel like something will go wrong."

_Meanwhile._

An ambulance landed on the Atlas airship. In the driver seat was Cinder, who sighed, "I should have known. If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself." She said before exiting and quickly examined the area, "Perfect, almost all of them look to have left to battle the White Fang." She then looked at the scroll in her hand before putting it in her pocket, "All I need to do is upload the virus and things will still go according to plan." She took a few steps before stopping, seeing two individuals in the distance. Standing side by side, Neo and Ruby scowled at the black-haired woman. Both reposed their weapons as Cinder smirked, "A minor obstacle." She said before spawning two dust short swords, "Neither of you will ruin my plans."

Neo and Ruby did not say a word to their opponent, nor each other. However, both were sharing the same thought. They would stop Cinder and save those they cared about from this woman's wrath.

**Chapter 9 – The Mute Girl and The Red-Hooded Girl**

**AN: There you go, Mercury and Emerald get taken out of the game this time. If you have read my other fanfic, Fates Collide, you know that is not the first time I have broken Mercury's legs. The White Fang is also taken care of. Adam gets the reverse treatment of what happened to him just a couple of chapters ago. It may seem like it was too esay to beat him, but remember, Adam is weakest when he is being manipulated and his anger is blinding him. Neo saw his scar already and could make him lose control if he saw anyone else with it, but it being Weiss was extra salt in the wound. (If it were Blake, he could tell it was fake. He never meet Yang until this moment, but knows Weiss is a Schnee. If she had the scar, it would make him feel like she was saying the moment that defined his rage was not unique, nor a big deal. Hopefully, that makes it clearer why he went ballistic). He gets put on ice without landing a single cut this time. Now, all Neo needs to do is take down Cinder. But will our mute girl and Ruby be enough to finally save the day? You will have to see in the final to know for certain. That is all for now, thanks for reading, and hope to see you in the next chapter.**


	10. Chapter 10

**AN: Hey everyone, I have the final chapter here. Thank you for all the support the series has gotten. This is it, the final stage of the last route. I had a lot of choices for the ending, but this is the outcome I wanted to put out for everyone. Is this the one were Neo finally saves Roman? Or does something else happen to make this end of our mute girl's journey? Hope you enjoy this chapter, leave a review with your comments and questions, and have a nice day.**

…

_A short time earlier. _

Roman sat in his cell with his head down. Suddenly, light shined on his hair as the hatch open, causing a grin on the orange-haired criminal's face. He looked towards his releaser with a sinister chuckle starting, but stop upon realizing who it was, "Red!?" Roman called out to Ruby, "Why are you-" He said before seeing his bodyguard walking into his line of sight, "Neo, what's going on?"

"Listen, Roman," Ruby spoke up, "I don't like you and you don't like me." She said with the orange-haired criminal's eyes half open, "However, we need your help to stop a bigger threat."

"You mean Cinder," Roman inferred with Neo nodding, but he turned to the red hooded girl with a smirk, "You think you can beat her, Red?"

"…I'm not sure." Ruby responded, then turn to Neo, "According to her, I have some special eyebeam powers that could hurt Cinder a lot… She thinks."

"Uh, Neo?" Roman commented, "I said you had an overactive imagination, but… really?" He said with Neo smirking. The orange-haired criminal then sighed.

Ruby then turned back to Roman, "Look, she says Cinder will be coming here for part of the plan you were going to do." She then turned back to Neo, "We're going to stop her." Ruby said with Neo nodding.

"No, Cinder will kill you!" Roman said in worry towards Neo, but the mute girl turned to him with a confident grin. He was left without words for a second before sighing, "You seem pretty sure of yourself." He then had a matching grin, "Okay, looks like we're switching sides." He said before looking to Ruby, "Don't get the wrong idea, I'm by no means turning over a new leaf."

"You're just picking the side you think will win." Ruby responded with a slight scowl, then looked to Neo, "That's what she said you would say."

"Exactly," Roman responded, "And this time, I think I will bet on Red." He said before looking back to Neo, "So, what do you need me to do?" He asked with the mute girl smirking.

_Present time. _

Neo dashed towards Cinder with the blade of Hush already extended. Cinder prepared to interpret the attack but gasped as Neo's body shattered. A recently fired round from Crescent Rose shot through the glass clone as was heading towards Cinder. She blocked the bullet with her blade, casing Ruby to grit her teeth. The red-hooded girl changed her weapon to its scythe form before rushing into close combat, to which Cinder responded in kind. Their blades clashed with ever swing, but Ruby was starting to get push back. Suddenly, Cinder spin kicked Ruby in the gut while combining her short swords. While Ruby was launched back, Cinder had created her bow with a flaming arrow already strung. She released the fire projectile, aiming directly for her opponent's heart. Ruby gasped before a large explosion enveloped her area. Cinder lowered her bow while smirking.

However, that smile faded as the smoke cleared. Neo stood in its path, the canopy of Hush tanking the arrow with only minor burn marks. Ruby looked back to Neo, but the two did not say a word before they reposed their weapons. Both rushed Cinder at the same time, forcing her to break her weapon back into two short swords. She parried the swings of her foes with each blade in hand. However, her dominance in the battle was falling. Neo saw an opening and jabbed Cinder in the face with the handle of her umbrella. While stunned, Cinder managed to barely see the downwards strike of Crescent Rose. She jumped back to avoid the strike, causing the weapon to be embedded in the floor. Ruby grinned as she was still locked on, firing a round from her snipe rifle. Cinder blocked again, then quick fired bullet shattered the short sword in the left hand.

"Tsk," Cinder scoffed as Ruby pulled out Crescent Rose and Neo reposed with Hush, "The two of you starting to annoy me." She said with Neo scowling, but the black-haired woman grinned, "You're not worth it, but I suppose I can get some practice with my soon to be full maiden power." She said with her right eye glowing with an orange aura.

Neo then heard a cracking sound a few feet in front of her. The dust shards of the broken short sword began to ignite. Their explosion did not push back Ruby or Neo, but it did create a smokescreen. Ruby coughed before seeing the glowing eye through the smoke. She reeled back, unleashing a horizontal slash. While she cut the smoke, nothing was there. The red hooded girl gasped before seeing Cinder overhead, who was about to plunge her blade into her target's head.

However, Neo went to intercept like before, but Cinder anticipated it. With the short sword now glowing white-hot, she slashed through Hush and into Neo's right shoulder. The canopy caught fire as the hidden blade snapped. This heat cut through her aura in seconds. Neo was about to scream in agony but grit her teeth. She redirected her momentum and went for a kick to the head. Cinder grinned as she easily dodges, tightening her grip for a vital stab.

Suddenly, a bullet grazed against the right side of her head. While it did not take out her eye, it did shave off a few black hairs. Cinder scowled as she looked down at the barrel still smoking, with Ruby loading into another round to fire at her midair target. Cinder held out her empty left hand, causing fire to gather. Neo gasped before holding her arms to block the blast of heat. The unleashing of the sniper round and ball of fire launched simulations. Cinder was flung back by her own attack, causing the bullet to miss.

On the other end, Neo took the full force of the blast. The mid-air explosion launched Neo back at high speed, her body about to collide with a slab of metal. At the last second, Ruby rushed in and caught Neo before the collision, but then gasped at the damage. The mute girl's jacket sleeves where ash. Her forearms were a scorched red with the steam still evaporating. Neo's breathing was heavy, her mind starting to go blank from the pain. She still tried to push herself up, "Hey, you're too hurt to keep going." Ruby warned, "If this keeps going, you'll-" She said, but then felt a sudden heatwave.

Neo and Ruby turned to see Cinder holding a massive orb of fire over her head, "I think both of you will suffer that same fate." She said as Neo tried to stand up, putting her body between Ruby and Cinder, "What is this? When did you two become friends?" Cinder asked with Neo glaring, while Ruby had a look of worry, "No matter, the two of you can burn together!" she said before she was about to unleash the fireball.

However, a much smaller fireball hit hers first. Cinder had a look of confusion before realizing her attack was about to become unstable. She jumped back to dodge the explosion, then looked to the third-party attacker. With a scowl on her face, she saw Roman with his cane still smoking, "Hey Hot Stuff," Roman said with a smirk, tipping his bowler hat, "Hope you don't mind me cutting in."

"Roman," Cinder responded, "You've gone from failing me to betraying me now?"

"Don't act so surprised," Roman said with his smirk fading, "You were going to kill after this mission was done, regardless of if I did what you asked."

Cinder had a slight chuckle, "You're slightly smarting than I gave you credit for." She said, but then noticed Roman started laughing, "What's so funny? You should be scared for your life."

"Well, so should you. You're mission failed." Roman responded, "All your allies are gone and no Grimm are even close to the Kingdom."

"They don't matter to my plan. All of them were just distractions." Cinder said before reaching into her pocket, "I only need one to thing to keep everyone busy while I-" She said before stopping herself, realizing her pocket was empty. "What?" She said before hearing a slight giggle. In the distance, Neo smirked as she held up Cinder's scroll. Her mind flashed back to the moment right after she bashed Cinder in the face with Hush. In the stunned state, the mute girl stealthily pickpocketed her opponent. "You-" Cinder said with a scowl.

"You need that to take control of the robots." Roman interrupted, "And while you three were busy fighting, I did that uptight General one favor and broadcasted an anonymous distress call. One that leads back to here." He said before pointing at Cinder with his can, "Now, the only thing that's a distraction, is you."

"It's over Cinder, we won." Ruby declared with Cinder's eyes glowing with rage. However, a sudden fireball collided with the black-haired woman's blade, causing both to turn back to Roman.

"Red, get Neo out of here." Roman commented before reposing his cane, "I can keep her busy until the military comes back." He said before Cinder dashed towards him, her eyes full of murderous intent. Roman parried her attacks as best he could but struggled under her power. Ruby was about to rush in, but the orange-haired criminal yelled back, "GO!"

Ruby then nodded before helping Neo up, "Come on, let's go." She said before they started walking towards the ambulance airship Cinder had arrived on. However, Neo pushed Ruby away, "What are you doing?"

Neo knew what she was doing. Her plan was going so well, just like all the rest were. But like all the rest, she knew that there would be a moment where things would not go as she planned. This time, she knew when that moment would be. If she left Roman to fight Cinder alone, Cinder would kill him and possibly escape. Neo needed to defeat her right here, right now. That was why she needed Ruby to help but realized her flaw. The red hooded girl was not used to the power. To activate the silver eyes, Ruby had to see someone die. However, nobody else was here that Neo could afford to lose…. except.

Neo had a soft smile before taking out Cinder's scroll. She typed a quick message before tossing it to Ruby. As the red hooded girl caught it and read the message, Neo was already rushing into battle, "_Please, save everyone but me_." Ruby looked at the message in confusion before looking back to the battle, her eyes then widening.

Roman was staggered from one of Cinder's swings. She was about to slash him down but was tackled by Neo. The blade missed Roman, but he had a graver looked of panic come over his face. Without any form of defense, Neo could not overpower Cinder. The black-haired woman raised her white-hot blade as Neo knew her fate would come to an end.

The blade slashed down her body, cutting diagonally though her chest. "NEO!" Roman screamed as Ruby gasped, overcome with the sight she had just witnessed.

Neo shut her eyes in pain. She looked like she was about to scream but was only vomited blood. Cinder grinned at taking the one that had ruined her planes down. However, Neo reopened her eyes. With the colors swapped, she grinned at her foe. Cinder scowled back but then felt an odd light. She turned towards it, discovering it was an uncontrollable silver aura radiating from Ruby's eye. The aura expanded as Cinder felt its power rocketing towards her, "WHAT!?" Cinder screamed as the light enveloped her.

In that moment, Neo slowly closed her eyes.

…

With a faint chatter awakening her, Neo started to open her eyes. She was staring at the ceiling of an intensive care room of the Vale Hospital. With a confused looked, she saw the four members of Team RWBY talking to each other, "Neo!" Ruby said as she notices the mute girl sitting up, causing the rest of her team to turn.

"You're finally up." Yang commented, with Neo feeling a sharp pain in her chest, "Hey, take it easy."

"You've been out for a while." Weiss commented.

Neo look past her gown to see stitches were the Cinder had stashed her. The pain of the blade still echoed in her mind, but she thought that attack was fatal. "The doctors said you wouldn't have made if the cut wasn't partially cauterized." Ruby said, but Neo turned to her with a look of worry, "After what happened on the airship, Cinder couldn't get away before the military returned and caught her. She was is far worse condition than you were." The red hooded girl commented, "Ozpin talked with our team about… a lot of things. He told us we do not have to worry about Cinder anymore. That she would be returning the power she had stolen in the first place."

"He also thanked all our hard work in stopping this threat." Blake commented, "Not only that, but the White Fang in this region was dissolved with the imprisonment of Adam."

"Don't need to worry about him, that creep has Mercury and Emerald to keep each other company in jail." Yang commented, "The tournament wasn't even postponed, and I got second place to Pyrrha." She said with a confident smile.

"We didn't forget to mention your name in all of this," Weiss added on, "None of this wouldn't have been possible without your help. You saved thousands of lives." Weiss said with Neo slightly smiling. However, the white heiress could still see the sorrow in the mute girl's eyes at the thing the team had been avoiding, "But, you mainly want to know about what happened to Roman."

Neo nodded before turning to Ruby, who had a look of remorse on her face, "I'm so sorry." Ruby responded as Neo's eyes went white, "After I used my powers, I blacked out. When I came to, it was while you were getting surgery. At the airship…they couldn't find Roman." She said before looking down a large paper bag, pulling something out, "All we could find, was this." Ruby said before showing Neo the black bowler hat. The feather was tattered, and the rim was slightly scorched.

Neo took the hat in her trembling hands. Tears started to run down her face as she hugged the last piece of her One Thing close. She closed her eyes to scream, but no voice came out… But as Neo opened her eyes, she was still in the hospital bed. She had not gone back to that moment like before. This time, she was stuck with this route of events. Her tears flowed more as she held the hat tighter. She had failed.

While Neo could save almost everyone, she could never save Roman.

_Ten days later._

Out of the hospital, Neo had finally fully recovered. She looked on at a small airship, a small bag at her side. In turning around, Team RWBY was there, "So, this is how you want Ozpin to repay you for saving the kingdom?" Blake asked, "You're just going to leave?" Neo nodded.

"You could join Beacon to become a huntress?" Ruby offered, but Neo shook her head from side to side.

"It's your choice," Weiss said, "You have enough liens from the headmaster to start a whole new life."

"But if you go back to the evil route." Yang said before hitting her fists together, "I'll be the one to knock you out."

Neo giggled before swapping her eye colors. She then smiled before bowing towards Team RWBY. The four members of the team did not say a word but did have a soft smile as well. The mute girl boarded her airship and closed the hatch. Upon reaching the driver seat, she started the vehicle before it took off. With one last look at her temporary allies, Neo saw them wave goodbye before she rocketed off into the distance.

After a few minutes of piloting, Neo noticed and auto control button. With a smirk, she pressed it with the airship now piloting itself. She sighed while leaning back into her seat, but then looked back at her bag. In reaching inside, she pulled out the bowler hat. While she had lost her One Thing, she at least had something left to remember him now. Neo placed the hat on her head, causing a tear to run down her face.

However, something felt off. She took off the hat and examined the inside. Her eyes went white as she saw something hidden in the interior stitching. A small piece of paper with a set of coordinates and a single message in familiar handwriting. _Guess Who_? Neo instantly took control of the airship and followed the coordinates.

At close to sunset, Neo had made her way to a destroyed cityscape. One free from humans and Grimm activity. She landed on top of a large parking complex, spotting the same ambulance she had awoke in many times before. She quickly scanned the area but did not find anyone.

However, the sky was turning an orange from the setting sun. She turned to the light, and that was when she saw him. His cane in hand, his while long coat, his orange hair like a candle's flame. As the sun illuminated him, Roman turned to face Neo, a small smile on his face. Neo's eyes ran with tears of joy. She dashed towards Roman and hugged him as tight as she could, knowing he was real. Roman's smile grew more sincere as he patted her head.

"Thank you, Neo." Her One Thing spoke in a soft voice, "Thank you for saving me."

**Chapter 10 – They Lived Happily Ever After **

**AN: There you go, Neo did it. She was able to stop Cinder before her plan could even get moving, saved Vale from falling, and rescue her One Thing from a terrible fate. Neo had a lot of bad luck in the first few attempts, so the final one was when things went more than her way in the end. Like I said, I had multiple conclusions for this series. I debated Neo staying dead in the end and even one were this was all a dream from the cannon timeline. However, both were not something I liked, and I could tell the readers would not have either. I do not know what Neo's fate in the cannon series will be. However, I liked this ending right here because it showed how much Neo grew and sacrificed for the sake of others. In helping everyone achieve their best fate, she was rewarded with her own happy ending to this story. That is what I love about every arc in Re: Zero and what I wanted to do here. The second season will be coming out soon and that arc is going to be amazing. That is all for now, thanks for reading, and hope you enjoyed Re: Neo. **


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